


(Arch)Angel With A Shotgun

by MiaSif



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cas is only a little bit dead, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Leviathans, Lucifer - Freeform, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, human!Gabriel, temporarily anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-03
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-01-01 12:56:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 52,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18334850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiaSif/pseuds/MiaSif
Summary: Gabriel comes back just as Cas has melted into Leviathan goo. He doesn't want to help humanity but his dad has other ideas. Time and time again he gets roped in to the hunting world with sidekick, Char (OC) until it all culminates at a case and he ends up finding the Winchesters...or Losechesters as he calls them.Meanwhile something is wrong with Chuck...He's losing His memories but if He can get His sons to believe in Him again they will come back so He brings them all back, pulling Michael and Lucifer out of the Cage...but where to put them??I want to commit to updating once a week but sometimes depression hits and she's a mean bitch so for now I will just say that I will TRY to post once a week.Work is dedicated to Vipjuly because...I'm not sure actually, lol. I just rlly like her. She seems cool af and please don't think I'm a weirdo. Shit.





	1. What Year Is It Anyway?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [vipjuly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/vipjuly/gifts).



The only reason Gabriel knew his dad was the one responsible for bringing him back was because when he woke up he spied a knapsack to the right of him that upon opening it, held everything he needed to start his new life as a human. 

He groaned as he pulled himself into an upright position. He was on a couch, light tan in color, soft cloth material. He’d had a cat in the past who would have had a field day scratching himself on it. He looked around and realized that he was in a small house, very small. The living room was probably a mere 12x12 with an arch that led into the kitchen/dining room. He imagined that if he went into the bedrooms they wouldn’t be much bigger. A far cry from the palace type places he used to hole himself up in when he was on the run. 

He got a warm feeling in his chest as he took in the living room. On him lay a deep purple blanket and the hues of the rest of the room were gold and purple. His dad remembered his favorite color. That made Gabriel smile. It had been eons since he heard from or saw his father but here was proof that not only was his dad alive but he was around and most importantly, he remembered him. Further evidence was the miniature baby grand piano that sat in one corner which a bench underneath it. It wasn’t his horn but he had been known to dabble in piano from time to time. He had been around for eons after all, he had to pass the time somehow. 

Gabriel pulled the knapsack (purple and black) onto his lap and started rifling through it. There was a wallet, a gun, a knife, a notebook of all things and pens. His dad must have also remembered Gabriel liked drawing because there were sketch books and coloring pencils as well as stencils and other art material. The last time Gabriel drew was right before he left home. He wondered if he even still could. There was also a phone. Brand new by the looks of it. Gabriel wondered what his number was. 

When he flicked his wrist to open the wallet his hand beeped and it startled Gabriel, who stared as he watched what he thought was a watch light up. What type of sorcery was this? The screen turned black so Gabriel flicked his wrist again and sure enough, it lit up once more. Gabriel peered at it and saw that it was 3:25 in the evening, somewhere called Fort Worth, and the date was September 18th. Gabriel let out a snort of laughter. His dad was funny. Waking him up the same day Castiel appeared to Dean Winchester. 

That stopped Gabriel short. Wait, had the Apocalypse already happened? What year was it anyway? Gabriel flicked his wrist again and took another quick scan of the face of the watch but no, there was no year on there, just month and date. The phone. The phone would tell him. He remembered how to work that, or so he thought. He’d never actually needed one…

He pulled the phone back out, saw that it said Samsung, vaguely he remembered hearing about Samsung. When he was around Blackberries where the thing, Samsung was an up and comer. He could only imagine what Blackberries looked like now if the Samsung was this sleek and cool looking. Where in tarnation were the buttons? He flipped the phone over and over in his hand before discovering buttons on the side of the phone. Gingerly he pushed one on the left and nothing happened. He pushed another, right above that one and still nothing. Maybe the other side…as he flipped the phone over again something fell out of it. A pen? What the heck was a pen doing in the phone? He looked at the bottom of the phone and sure enough there was an opening where the pen obviously went but why? 

Gabriel’s heart started racing as he sat there, panicking that he wasn’t in way, shape or form prepared to be human. He didn’t know anything. How could his dad leave him like this? What was he supposed to do? 

“Get a fucking grip.” He muttered to himself even as he felt itchy sweat start coming out of his armpits. Dad, he was so human now. He was sweating. Sweating. Like a fucking human. Ok, first things first. Place phone aside (after figuring out how to put the pen back in) find out what the wallet held, look at the rest of the knapsack, go through his house, and then lastly, find out what his strengths and weaknesses were or if his dad had left him all the way human. Lastly, find a human to help him figure out the blasted phone. And maybe if he could try to inquire about the current year without sounding like a buffoon. He shrugged. There was no way around it. No matter what he came across as, he had to know. 

Gabriel picked up the wallet again, regular soft brown leather, something about it gave Gabriel the impression that this wallet could not be picked up in a store. Of course the idea of his dad walking through a shopping mall was laughable but even just conjuring something up, this wallet felt real. Like it was from many many moons ago. Then again, if his dad was as out of touch with the world as he was, it probably was. Gabriel inspected the front and back of it, looking for the name of a store or something that might give him a clue as to where it was from but found nothing besides the initials G.W. on the bottom right hand corner. G.W.? Who the fuck was that? The “G” made sense to him, but what was up with the “W”? Had his dad given him a new last name? 

Gabriel opened the wallet, a quick glance letting him know there were also no descriptors there, before pulling out the items that were in the slots. Ah, he was in Texas. There was a Texas driver’s license and Gabriel found out his address. He found his “birthday” and it was listed as September 18th, 1980. He was…well, he still didn’t know as he didn’t know what fugging year it was. He scowled. 

Then he read his name and dropped the drivers license like it had burned him. No he fucking didn’t. No. No. No. 

“No, dad. I’m not Gabriel fucking Winchester. Change that shit. Change that shit right now.” He hissed, eyeing the license like the name was going to magically change in front of him. It didn’t. Fuck, his dad was probably back under whatever rock he’d crawled out of. He couldn’t be a Winchester. First of all, he was barely accepted when he was around, although Sam wasn’t so bad, but this, this was just embarrassing. This was him having to face the fact that his dad was trying to play matchmaker, something Gabriel was so not having. He didn’t want to be back in that world again. He hated the hunting world. He hated fighting. He’d already proven that when he ran away from his own family. Not only that but thanks to that muttonhead, Dean, he’d gotten roped in and died for them, to save their dumbasses. What more did his dad want?

Nope. He was human now and he wasn’t planning on dying anytime soon so his dad could stuff it. He wasn’t hunting shit and he was definitely not going looking for trouble. Nope. He had a house, had- had, he opened the wallet again and yup, had credit cards, money, even health insurance. Why would he give any of that up? No. He was staying right here, getting a job, maybe find a nice girl or boy to settle down with and then when they got married he’d change HIS last name to theirs and put the whole thing behind him. He’d lived plenty of years as a god, as Loki, and even more as an archangel. He’d be fine without his powers. They brought him nothing but trouble anyway. 

He now eyed the gun and knife warily, picking them up and rotating them in his hand. He recognized the gun. It was the Colt. And the knife was a demon blade. And if he looked in the bag, he’d probably find his dad-damned angel blade. In a fit of impotence, he threw everything off of him, even the phone clattered to the floor and stood up. Fuck everything. He was not going along with his dad’s apparent plan and that was final. And who was he supposed to mate with anyway? Not Dean, surely. Not only would they kill each other but Dean was already spoken for by little Cassie and he doubted Cassie was the type to share, no matter how hot Dean was. That meant…Sam. Fine, so Gabriel could admit Sam was good looking. And smart. He’d probably know how to use the dad-damned phone. Still, Gabriel didn’t love him. He just preferred him over Dean. That didn’t mean shit. Of course, there was the other Winchester, Adam but last Gabriel knew that kid was straight. So was Sam, for that matter. 

Actually Sam seemed more like the type to be demi. Gabriel couldn’t remember him going out as much as Dean and never for one night stands, not to Gabriel’s knowledge anyway. He’d done a little bit of research on Sam and Dean before agreeing to aid them in the Apocalypse and he found nothing but relationships in Sam’s past. The only exception he found was one girl he met and slept with in the back of the Impala. A waitress or something like that. But that was the one and only time. Gabriel hadn’t found any men although he had seem exceptionally close to Brady, a friend of his from college. 

The kid had gone to Stanford. Even as an angel and demi-god that was slightly out of touch with the real world, Gabriel knew how impressive that was. And it all got ripped out from under him because of the bloody Apocalypse, something that his brothers didn’t even have to go ahead with but because they were rotten bastards, they just had to come fuck with earth. Jesus. No wonder his dad left. They weren’t even his kids and they irritated the ever loving fuck out of him. 

Deciding to go ahead and bite the bullet, Gabriel let out a sigh and dug his hand into the knapsack once more, his hand pulling out a bottle of something. He eyed it closely, brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what the fuck it was for. Borax. What the fuck did he need borax for? Flipping it over, he looked at the ingredients. Sodium borate. That niggled something in the back of his mind but the thought was gone as soon as it came. 

He put his hand in the bag again and got the shit poked out of his finger for his troubles. “Ouch!” He exclaimed loudly, sucking the drop of blood that had appeared on the tip of his forefinger and opened the bag under a watchful eye instead of going in willy nilly. It was probably his- yup, he pulled out his blade with some disgust and put it to the side before peering in again. There was nothing left but an envelope. 

Sucking on his finger again, he pulled out the envelope with the left hand, mentally cataloging that he appeared to still be ambidextrous. By now he was considering all his strengths with some caution as it appeared that if his dad had left them it had to be for a reason. He didn’t know how being able to use both hands equally would be of any use but who understood his dad? Not him, that was for sure. 

Satisfied that his finger had once again stopped bleeding he set upon opening the envelope…and promptly gave himself a paper-cut. “What the fuck?!” He bellowed, wondering how THE FUCK such a small cut could hurt so damn bad. Now he was bleeding from two fucking places. Son of a fucking bitch, that hurt. Christ on a cracker. He sucked his knuckle for a second or two before gingerly folding his finger in and out to inspect the damage. The cut was ridiculously small. Getting stabbed by his once favorite brother had hurt less. As more blood appeared he brought the knuckle back up to his mouth all the while scowling at the memory of Lucifer stabbing him. Of all the fucking nerve. He couldn’t believe the two muttonheads who had broken the damn world were more loyal to each other than his own brothers, fucking ARCHANGELS, were to each other. His dad had epically fucked up somewhere. 

Finally, the paper was out of the envelope and Gabriel opened it. It was a letter. Written in Enochian and Gabriel mentally catalogued that as well. He could still read Enochian. He wondered if he still understood other languages or if that was the only one his dad had left him with. Anyway:

“Hey son, 

I’m sure by now you’re realized that I brought you back. Sorry I couldn’t stay and chat. 

I brought you back human because although you’ve been around humans for a long time you haven’t interacted with them much (aside from exacting justice which, yes, I know all about) and I want you to truly understand what it is they mean to me. I’m planning on doing the same to your brothers, in case you wondered. Don’t worry, I’m not sticking them with you. I’m putting each one of y’all in different parts of the world. Eventually everything will be alright. It’s not a for sure thing but I have faith you all will figure it out. 

I know you don’t like fighting but you, all angels were created to protect earth and my creation so sometimes you simply must get off the sidelines and join the fight. I know you’re probably wondering why I don’t do it but the thing is that I was in you all’s life for a long time and in that time I stepped in time and time again to fix all the messes. There comes a time when a parent must simply step back and let their babies grow up. 

This is your chance. 

Gabriel, you won’t die again so please don’t be afraid of that. Join the humans, son. Learn what it is that makes humanity great. Once you have, I’ll restore your grace. I’ll even give you a boost. Promise. 

Enjoy Texas. 

Love you, peanut.”

Gabriel’s eyes watered as he read the nickname he hadn’t heard for such a long time. He could still hear it in his dad’s “voice”. Fine. If it was so important to his dad, he’d give it a shot. Especially now that he knew that he wouldn’t be dying any time soon. Of course, that still gave the opportunity to snatch him and torture him for decades on end but hopefully his dad was watching and would step in if need be. But he wasn’t calling the Winchesters. Not only did he not know whether they were alive or dead but he also didn’t know where they were and didn’t know anyone who could help find them. Sure, he could try a location spell but- dammit, his brain really needed to stop coming up with options. He really didn’t want to hear it right that second. 

Gabriel pushed those thoughts out of his head and picked up the wallet again. There were two thousand dollars in the wallet and three credit cards. He wished he could call the numbers on the back to find out what his limits where but again he didn’t see any buttons on his phone. Ok, it was time to get up. 

He pushed the blanket off of him and stood, stretching his arms. It felt weird to not be able to stretch his wings. He was wingless. For a moment he stood there, stunned. He was human. Human. Hue-man. Hooman. HuMAn. Oh shit. He was going bananas. He needed to get a fucking grip. 

So Gabriel did what he did best and pushed that thought to the recesses of his mind, to join all those other things he didn’t want to think about. He walked through the house and in the kitchen (and what a kitchen it was. It was clear his dad knew he used to enjoy cooking as well. It was a spectacular kitchen, filled with all the gadgets Gabriel was accustomed to using and some he didn’t recognize as well.) to the left was a door. Gabriel opened it slowly, almost expecting something to jump out at him but nothing did. He exhaled in relief and there was a hall that exposed three doors. One to the right of him, one straight ahead and one to the left. 

He took the couple of steps it required (the house really was that small) and found himself in the bathroom that boasted a tub but no shower. How the fuck- Gabriel shook his head. He’d figure that out later. The restroom was done in black and tan, tasteful but for the toothbrush holder. That was porcelain tan and had the word “Flawless” emblazoned in black across it. Gabriel bit back a laugh. His dad really was something. The towels were black giving it a masculine feel as was the shower curtain although the shower curtain had a design of some sort on it. Gabriel stepped a little closer for a better look, mentally noting that his eyesight wasn’t nearly as great anymore. It seemed he had been deduced to normal human eyesight. 

Were those- yes, they were. They were tan moose heads with small gold halos between the antlers. Gabriel laughed out loud. Now, he definitely had a clear picture of what his dad was nudging him towards. He’d called Sam “Moose” many times, sometimes even “Samoose” because, dad, the kid was huge. Too bad Sam hated him. Of course, Gabriel couldn’t fault him for it. He’d played terrible tricks on them, he was man enough to be able to admit that now. In his defense he hadn’t known they weren’t actually like his brothers at all. The brothers held the loyalty they felt towards each other as the highest bar, something Mikey and Luci never had. His own brothers, though as some point loved each other, their love wasn’t as steadfast. Hadn’t stood up to the trials of time. Instead it had withered. Who knew if the Winchesters were like that now, all Gabriel knew was that when he knew them, they weren’t. They loved each other to a degree that was unhealthy. At least that’s what Gabriel had thought but they were obviously doing something right if Earth was still standing. 

Gabriel made his way out of the restroom, biting his lip in contemplation. He really didn’t want to reach out to them but he had no reservations that his dad would take things into his own hands if he didn’t. He’d bring them into Gabriel’s life one way or another. Well, Gabriel could be stubborn too, he’d taken after his old man after all. He’d just wait here, albeit anxiously, until they did. He’d consider it a vacation before he was dragged back into the world’s mess. 

Gabriel opened the middle door and arched a brow as he took it in. It was incredibly small. A mere 10x10 that barely held the queen size bed it boasted. There was a window and a small dresser and that was about it. 

Gabriel walked in to the black and purple room, enjoying the way his dad had seemingly kept his preferences in mind when creating the place for him. Gave a whole new meaning to “I go to prepare a home for you.” Gabriel snorted at his own recitation of the Bible verse. It got so many things wrong, who knew it’d inadvertently get one right? His father had literally prepared a home for him. 

The whole room was done in black, giving it a majestic exotic feel. The sheets were silk and Gabriel knew from experience that if he slept there he’d spend the whole night trying his damnedest to stay in bed and not slide off. Even when he had powers it had been annoying to have to use his grace to stay on. He couldn’t imagine how much more so it’d be if he had to try it as a human. No sir, that room was definitely not for him. 

Gabriel stepped out and turned to the left. Last room, last chance. 

He opened the door and…yes, this was much more like it. The room was done in dulcet tones of deep dark violet and a hazel green that reminded him of…dammit, dad! Gabriel thought loudly. It was the same color as Sam’s eyes. Those silk sheets were looking better and better. Whatever, he could paint the damn thing and buy a different bed cover. This was definitely his room though. The same size as the kitchen and living room put together, the bed was a beautiful gold poster style bed. Upon closer inspection, Gabriel deduced it was real gold. His bed was made of gold. Good going dad, he thought. Nothing but the best for him, it seemed. Aside from the damn color and the little bitty detail of the last name. He’d work around that for now though. 

The doorbell ringing landed him back on earth. Visitors already? The thought made him freeze even as the doorbell rang again. What if it was demons? But, wait, no, demons would have just barged in not merely ring his doorbell insistently as whomever was at the door was, he thought, hearing the doorbell go off again. 

“I’m coming! Hold your horses.” He called out, loudly. There was another exit door in his room so he assumed that whomever was out there could probably hear him. Gabriel went through the house and attempted to peer through the peephole only to find that there wasn’t one. Cautiously he opened the door. 

There was a screen door which afforded Gabriel no small amount of relief. 

“Can I help you?” He asked the girl who stood at the door, arms crossed over her shoulders as she rubbed them. It was cold outside, he realized as the hairs on his arms lifted and goosebumps were left in the wake of the wind that came in, what in dad’s name was she doing without a coat? Idly, Gabriel tucked that thought away too. Apparently he was no longer immune to the climate. Of course, he’d gotten a glimpse of that when he’d started sweating but he had chalked that up to nerves, a misaligned impression it seemed. 

“Can I come in?” The girl’s teeth shattered and she shivered. Gabriel nodded. “Sure, why not?” His dad had said he couldn’t die after all. And she appeared to be human although he had no way of knowing for sure. Another detail to add to his ever growing list of abilities lost. He could no longer see a creatures true forms or souls for that matter. Had he kept any of his powers? Besides the useless ones like reading Enochian and being ambidextrous? That gave him an idea and as he pushed the door open for her, he used his right hand to put it under the piano that was situated behind the door and lifted. His relief was palpable when he was able to lift it easily. Ok, so he still had his strength. That was a pretty big one. Sending a silent thank you to his absent dad, he stepped aside as she walked in. 

“Tha-thanks.” She stumbled out, looking around the living room before her eyes fell on the weapons laid out on the couch and she froze. Gabriel’s eyes caught where hers landed and he stumbled over his words to explain. “Sorry, it’s not, uh, it’s not what it seems. I just like, um, weapons that’s all. I’m not some psycho.”

To his surprise, she nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“You know?”

“Yeah.” She didn’t offer any other explanation and Gabriel sighed internally. She probably wasn’t human then. Fuck. He inched closer to the couch lest he need to use them after all when she stopped him, putting an arm out to his. 

“You feel concerned. Don’t be. I’m not a psycho either.”

That gave Gabriel pause. She could feel?

“Empath?” He blurted out without thinking. 

She nodded. “You?”

He shook his head. 

“No. I’m Lo-Gabriel.” He said, sticking his hand out to her. He still wasn’t all that used to going by Gabriel anymore but Loki had died when his jig was up and he was outed. Might as well get used to going by Gabriel again. 

“I’m Charlotte.” 

“So, Charlotte, what brings you to my humble abode?”

“Well…I came to ask you a huge huge favor.”

“Go ahead, kiddo.”

“See…this is technically MY humble abode. I was supposed to be moving in to a bigger house but the closing fell through, the sellers backed out you see, and now I’m essentially homeless. All my shit is in the storage. I came to find out if by any chance I could stay in that extra room, just for a week or two at most, while I find another place. I’ll give you a prorated amount back on the lease.”

“The lease was paid? For how long?” 

She cocked her head at him. 

“Where’s your dad at? He’s the one I dealt with and maybe I should be asking him. No offense.”

Gabriel held in a snort. Good luck finding him, kid, he thought. To her he said, “He took off already. Left me only a note saying he couldn’t stay.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

She sighed. “He paid it for six months. Said you wouldn’t need it any longer than that and that if you did, you could pay for it yourself.”

Hmm. That meant that his dad had plans for him to be with the Winchesters in less than six months, not nearly enough time in his humble opinion but the fact that he left him an out also intrigued him. Maybe he wouldn’t really make him go? Maybe he’d let him exercise his free will. Team Free Will, he remembered Dean calling it. Lame ass name. Should have included something salubrious and…heavenly, like Gabriel or better yet, Archangel Gabriel and the three musketeers. Yeah, that sounded much better. He had been the most powerful one on the team after all.

“Yeah, you can stay. Good luck sleeping on those sheets though. Silk sheets are a bitch.” 

She smiled at him. “I’ve got practice.” She muttered before turning back to the door. “Ok, well, I came to ask you that first. I’m going to go get some clothes and shit out of the storage and be back later, ok? Thanks again for doing this. I’ll give you a check once I get back.”

He waved it off. “That’s really not necessary. If my dad already paid up, just keep the money.”

“Thank you. You’re an angel.”

Gabriel nodded and smirk. That he was. 

Once Charlotte left, Gabriel traipsed back through the house and went to do more digging in his bedroom, opening the drawers, checking out the clothes that his dad had mojo’d up for him. It was a vast array of styles. He had plaid shirts (hard pass), vintage shirts with old rock band names on them (He wasn’t a damn Winchester, DAD), relaxed jeans, skinny jeans, frayed jeans, something that very much resembled leggings (the hell?) pj’s, lounge wear, and even a couple of suits along with an assortment of shoes.

He found a box of id’s, everything from Sheriff Winchester to CIA, CDC, FBI, Special Agent and so on, all of them sporting a picture he knew he had never taken and the same blasted name. He put those deep in a drawer. He was not a hunter and had zero plans of taking up that particular mantle. He had enough titles to last him a lifetime, thank you very much.

He also found bullets to the Colt, a few more weapons and some lore and spell books. Those he shoved far back in the closet. Nope, not happening. That reminded him, what was with the Borax? It was clearly for something, but what? Surely his dad didn’t want him to clean. Clean up maybe, but what? And dammit, he’d forgotten to ask Charlotte what year it was. Gabriel sat on the edge of the bed, deep in thought, when his head raised and he caught sight of the tv he hadn’t noticed before. Looking around, he quickly located the remote and pressed the on button. 

It was set to CNN and Gabriel sat fully on the bed, legs crossed as he took in some of the news. The reporter was interviewing someone named Richard “Call me Dick” Roman. Who willingly went by Dick? Only a, well, dick, would opt for that. Gabriel watched the guy speak with some interest. There was something off about him. Something feral. Something that made Gabriel feel almost vulnerable, like the guy would chomp on him for dinner given the opportunity. Gabriel shivered as the thought merged with what “Dick” was saying now.

“Which is why we are diving whole hog into what keeps Americans living longer…and tasting better.”

Gabriel watched as the reporter, Gloria, questioned. 

“You do, of course, mean to say that the food will be tasting better?”

A chill went down Gabriel’s back when Dick turned and looked directly into the camera, a creepy smile playing on his lips. 

“That’s exactly what I mean.”

Gabriel turned off the tv. Ok, then, that was enough news for one day. Gabriel didn’t like bad news. Hello, he’d run from home because of bad news. He didn’t want it when he was an archangel, didn’t want it when he went pagan and he definitely didn’t want it now that he was human. No, thank you. He’d leave that shit for people with hero complexes, like the Losechesters. 

Gabriel heard the door open and he made his way back to the living room where Charlotte was now wearing a black thick puffer jacket with gold zippers and GUESS emblazoned on one arm. She was dragging a chest type thing behind her, grunting softly. 

“Here, let me help you with that.” Gabriel moved forward. 

“No thanks.” She cut him off. 

Gabriel stopped. Ok then. Most humans he’d met were all too wiling to pass the buck to someone else, even if it was for something as small as carrying something heavy, but apparently Charlotte was not one of them. 

Oh, right! Before he forgot again. “Charlotte?” “Hmm?” She asked, pushing the trunk with legs. 

“What year is it?”

Charlotte straightened. 

“I have to be honest with you about something, Gabriel.”

“Okaaaay.” Gabriel said slowly. 

“I am, as you deduced earlier, an empath. I can feel people’s emotions. Thing is, I can do more than that. I can also see people.” She stopped there and waited for her words to sink in. 

It took Gabriel a minute and then he looked up to a form he could no longer see or feel. 

“You mean…”

She nodded. 

“I don’t know what the fuck you are but you’re huge.”

Gabriel grinned widely. He could work with this. 

He bowed deep at Charlotte. 

“Archangel Gabriel at your service my dear.”

He straightened to see Charlotte visibly relax. “Thank fuck. I was scared. Why don’t you know what year it is though?”

“Just woke up today.”

“Woke up? Hmm. When was the last time you were awake?”

“Ummm, 2009? 2010? Somewhere around there?”

“So you were dead then, right? That’s what you mean?” 

Gabriel nodded and watched as emotions flickered on her face as she took it all in. 

“So, your dad. The guy I mean with a scruffy beard, chucks on his feet, jeans and t shirt…that was God?”

Gabriel smirked. “Yup. He likes to be unassuming. I actually haven’t seen him in a few millennia.”

“Geez. I met God. Ok then. Whew.” She said, exhaling, before continuing. 

“No wonder…” her voice trailed off. 

“No wonder what?”

“Well, like I said, I can see forms or bright lights that I have always assumed where either auras or souls. With your dad, there was nothing. Just a body. It was a little creepy and discomforting if you were looking at it only visually but feelings wise, he felt good. Honest. That’s why I accepted his offer to rent the place. Although that does beg the question, did he know what was going to happen? Did he know my house was going to fall through? Did he want me to be here? If so, for what purpose?”

That gave Gabriel pause. What purpose indeed. 

“Wait, are you a hunter?”

“Come again? A hunter? No.” She looked at him quizzically. 

“There are people out there that hunt the bad things you see. Do you see everything? What do you see is a better question. No need to frighten you unnecessarily.”

She fidgeted. “You understand I’ve never told anyone this so it feels weird to be talking about it in the open. Ok, um, let’s see. I’ve seen some things that are pretty easy to identify, vampires, werewolves..but some are harder, mostly because I feel like I know what they are but have never had anyone confirm although if angels are real then demons are too, right? I’ve seen some other weird shit that I have no name for.”

Gabriel nodded before sighing. 

“You have any defense training? Know how to shoot?”

“I do. I’ve been able to see these things since I was small. I felt like I had to prepare.”

“Makes sense. Well, kiddo, if you’re here it means my dad wants us to partner up, hunt together. Good news is, I have no plans of doing that. I don’t like fighting. Bad news is, I’m surprised my form is still there. I’m no longer an angel. He woke me up human, mostly human, I still have my angel strength it seems but I can’t see souls or true forms anymore. My dad did let me know that he’d raised me immortal though, so there’s that. I don’t know how fast I heal though. I got a paper cut earlier and it seemed like the pain took forever to go away but I’ve never been human before so I have no point of reference.”

Charlotte just stared at him for a while as he stood there patiently. 

Finally she spoke. 

“We’re coming up on 2013.”

“So, two years then. Or maybe three. I can’t rightly remember for some reason. I’ve been gone for 2 or 3 years. I wonder if the Winchesters are still around.” He mused aloud nudging the edging of the floor with his shoe.

“Winchesters?” 

His head snapped up. 

“Oh, please don’t tell me you know them.” He groaned. Just his bloody luck. Freaking dad.

Charlotte shook her head. 

“I don’t know any Winchesters but they came out on TV a little bit ago. They made YouTube video of themselves going on a killing spree. Sam and Dean Winchester. Drive a black Impala. Is that them?”

Gabriel stood there, mouth agape. 

“What?! Let me see this video. It’s them but they would never do anything like that. Maybe it’s shapeshifters. Did they look like humans to you?”

“No, they didn’t.” Charlotte responded, pulling out her phone and fiddling with it. “It was like they were made out of black goo and had huge mouths with rows of teeth.”

Black goo? Rows of teeth? That didn’t sound like shapeshifters to him. What the hell was made out of black goo? Had some new monster popped up while he was down?

His thoughts were interrupted as Charlotte pulled up the video. “You’ll have to teach me how to use my phone. When did buttons become a non thing?” She snorted and angled the phone his way so he could watch. Sure enough, that was Sam with his hair an impossibly long length, Dean winking straight into the camera before both brothers turned and shot a vault room full of both employees and clients. 

The sight made Gabriel feel sick to his stomach and he pushed the phone away. “No.” 

“No? It’s not the Winchesters you were looking for?”

“I mean it is but there’s no way that’s them. The boys I knew, you don’t understand Char. They saved the world from the bloody Apocalypse. The ACTUAL Apocalypse. There’s no way this is them. It just isn’t!” Gabriel spoke animatedly, hands moving as he spoke, accentuating his certainty. 

“Ok, ok, well, look, there’s another one. Look, here they are shooting up Connor’s Diner in Iowa. And they speak into the camera this time.”

She pulled up another video and sure enough, there was Sammy using a voice Gabriel had never heard, not even when they’d spoken to him. Even when Sam had caught up to “The Trickster”, he’d never yelled at him like that. Gabriel was already shaking his head when Sam and Dean took the phone and Sam said, “We just want to show the world what Sam and Dean Winchester are capable of.” That gave Gabriel some pause. Why hadn’t he just said “we”? The world already knew who they were. Why the need to reiterate their names? Unless they weren’t really Sam and Dean. Shapeshifters? 

“Kid?”

“Yeah?”

“What do you say you see when you see them?”

“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s black but, like, liquidy, but not runny like water would be, it’s, I don’t know, thicker somehow. Like goo. They have a huge mouth that seems to take up their entire face, rows of teeth and a long tongue.”

Gabriel scrunched up his face. He just didn’t know what it could be. “I don’t know,” he said, finally. “I know all the monsters in the world but this one doesn’t ring a bell.”

He sighed. 

“Have you been seeing a lot of them lately or have they been around for a while?”

Charlotte shook her head. 

“No. It started less than a year ago. People whose souls I could see, like TV reporters and other prominent TV characters, even some cops, like the ones in higher positions, and some corporate people like Richard Roman, all of a sudden the souls were gone and in their place I could see these awful things. I don’t know what’s going on but I do know that I steer clear of all the things I see.”

“I really don’t want to get involved. I wish I could see the damn things.”

“You know,” Charlotte spoke slowly, “One time, I saw a vampire but no one else did until he showed himself, when he was eating a girl. What if we nab one of them and force them to show us?”

Gabriel eyed her. “Are you sure you aren’t psycho?”

She laughed. “I’m really not but, I don’t know, I don’t really live in fear. I figure if it’s my time, it’s my time otherwise the big guy will make it possible for me to live.”

Gabriel scoffed. “He hasn’t been around in a long time. Besides, just because it’s not your time, doesn’t mean you have to go looking for it.”

“Aww, is the big bad archangel scwared?”

She was mocking him. 

“I resent that.”

She nudged his shoulder playfully. “Oh, come on. Could be fun.”

“Really? That’s your definition of fun? And how, pray tell, are we going to convince them to not eat us? Are we going to offer one of us up because I’m telling you right now, kid, I’m really not that self-sacrificing.”

“Hmm, you’ve got a point there. Besides…you said you kept your strength but what if your strength is less than their strength? How would we hold them?”

Gabriel shook his head. “Not possible. As an archangel the only things stronger than I am are my three older siblings, dad, and a couple of things from a long time ago that it took all of us to fight. Nothing that would be out right now. The only thing that worries me is that the creatures will be able to see my true form if you can and all of them will run when they see me.”

She tilted her head in contemplation. “Mmm, I don’t know. I mean you’re technically human. What if I can only see you because this is like my gift, ya know? Besides we could always test that too. There’s a bar close to here where I’ve seen lots of vampires at before. Wanna go check it out?”

Gabriel lifted his hand back up to his face. “I thought this was a watch and it is but I’ve never seen one like it. Anyways, it’s 6:30. Kinda early for a bar isn’t it?”

Charlotte laughed. “It’s called a smart watch. It connects to your phone. You can text, call and do various other things on it.”

“Oh, that reminds me, I can’t figure out how to open my phone.” He pulled it out and showed it to her. 

“Oh, Samsung Note. Nice. Here.” She pushed something on the other side and it turned on. 

“Now we just have to figure out your number. Is it cool if I dial my phone? That’ll bring it up.”

“Sure, go ahead. We should exchange numbers anyway.”

Together they sat on the couch and she showed him the basics. After playing with it for a bit and playing with the smart watch as well, Charlotte noted that it was now after seven. 

“How about if I go get dressed and we can go to dinner? Afterwards we can go hit up a bar. How’s that sound?”

Gabriel’s stomach rumbled in response and he looked down in surprise. “What do you know? I get hungry now. Cool!” 

“I take it you’ve never been hungry before?”

“No. Archangels don’t need to eat, some of the younger ones can’t even taste food properly, they tend to taste each ingredient and I do mean each. I think my brother Cassie once called it tasting molecules. I could but as I didn’t need to, I ate sweets and only sweets. Sweets sound good but my stomach feels like it wants something a bit more substantial if that makes any sense.”

She nodded. “Of course. It’s like junk food. You can eat it and love it but at some point you want some actual food, a real meal. How about sushi? Have you ever tried it?”

“Nope. But, sure, I’m down for anything.”

“Ok, well let me shower first since my hair will take longer to dry and you can go in after me. Do you have to shower or no?”

“Normally no, but this body seems to be human and I actually sweat a little earlier so yeah, I will shower too.”

“Oh, and Gabe? I actually go by Charlie. Not Charlotte. I think it’s because of everything I see, I don’t like people having my real name. Not unless I can feel that they’re safe, anyway.”

“Sounds good kiddo. I, uh, used to go by Loki. Lo for short. Until we know whether others can see my form too, just go ahead and call me that in public, yeah?”

Charlotte nods in understanding and continues on her way to the restroom. 

Gabriel sits down once he hears the shower start going and leans forward to hold his head in his hands. Was Charlotte placed here purposely by his all seeing dad? Is he taking the road his dad wants him to take because he’s inclined to do the exact opposite. He’s not wanting to feed into his dad’s hand. He doesn’t want to be a Winchester. Doesn’t want to fight. Doesn’t even want to be an archangel anymore. He just wants peace. 

“Coward.”

He can hear Dean’s voice in his head and exhales. Trying to not be a coward is what got him killed to begin with. Is it really so bad to not want to go through it again? And yet…he knows how many times Dean and Sam have died and still they keep fighting. How are they not afraid? Furthermore, how do they have the stamina to keep going? Where do they find the sheer will to want to right all the wrongs in the world? How? He doesn’t understand. Maybe it’s a human thing. Maybe he’ll understand later. 

Maybe he just needs to take it one step at a time, one day at a time. For tonight, he’s ok with just finding out if other creatures can see his true form or if it’s only Charlotte who can. Maybe, if they happen to come across one of the creatures she’s describing they can…what exactly? Are they really going to kidnap it? Did their house even have a basement? Because Gabriel hadn’t spotted one. 

It’s also bothering him that as much as he doesn’t want to see them at the same time he does. He wants to know how Sam…and Dean are doing. Is Cassie still with them? Gabriel feels a pang of regret when he thinks of Cassie. Back when he was in heaven there was this unspoken hierarchy that drove him crazy. He didn’t need anyone bowing down to him, he wasn’t any better than them just because he was more powerful. And yet, Cassie was the only one who never bowed to him or any of his brothers. Raphael got annoyed with it, Michael didn’t care and Lucifer thought it was funny because he knew he could still take him out. But to Gabriel that warranted respect. Cassie wasn’t doing it out of disrespect, he did it because he didn’t feel like they warranted a bow. Cassie was different. And Gabriel had left his curious little brother when he ran. 

There were a few he’d really loved. Cassie, Balthazar, Samandriel. All of them were different than the other angels. All of them were like Gabriel. They were a little rebellious. Didn’t quite follow all the rules. Were mischievous but curious. He wondered how they were and for a moment Gabriel almost prayed to them to come to him but he held back at the end. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t scared of their rejection. What if they no longer loved him in return? What if they also thought of him as cowardly? Gabriel didn’t think he could take that. 

He sighed and picked himself up from the couch before heading to his bedroom to find something to wear. Just as he was rifling through his many shirts, he heard the bathroom door open and Charlotte’s footsteps followed. He quickly grabbed the boxers he’d set out and the towel and stepped out. 

“Hey, do we really have to bathe?”

She nodded. “Unfortunately. My dad made this house and that’s how he built it and he never updated it. It’s kinda a pain in the ass until you get used to it. You’ll have to use a cup to bring the water up. It’s nice to sit in there though. The tub is clean so you don’t have to worry about that at least.”

“Dammit. Alright then.”

She put her hand on his shoulder in commiseration. “You’ll be ok.” She said teasingly. 

Gabriel grumbled back at her but continued on the short path to the bathroom. He was about to head back out to grab a cup when he noticed there was already one in there. Leaning over, he turned on the faucet, fixing the temperature to his liking before turning back to take off his clothes while the tub filled. 

Once it was about halfway through Gabriel tested the water with his toe and found it to his liking. Hot. He stepped in and allowed his body to get adjusted to the heat before slowly sinking into it. It was just shy of being too hot and Gabriel relished it. It felt damn good. It relaxed muscles he hadn’t realized were knotting up and as he sank further into it he let out a long breath. He could do this. He felt like he kept flip flopping back and forth on his decisions but right then in that moment Gabriel could feel that he’d be ok if he went along with it. He’d been an archangel for his dad’s sake. That used to mean something. 

When had it stopped? When had he forgotten that he was one of the world’s, no, universe’s, most powerful beings? With his dad gone, Luci presumably back in his box, Michael and Raphael who knew where (he wondered if his dad had already made them human), he could safely deduce that once he became an archangel again he’d probably be the world’s most powerful being. Maybe he could keep watch over humanity. Maybe it wouldn’t be scary. Maybe he wouldn’t die again. 

Gabriel wondered what would happen when Sam and Dean died. Who would be the world’s next hero’s? Usually it was done by bloodline but they didn’t have any children. Or they hadn’t. Maybe they did now. Both scenarios made Gabriel sad. He didn’t want Sam dead nor did he want him to have children with anyone else. That made him pause. What?

Before he could give it anymore thought there was a knock on the door. 

“I know it feels really good but don’t get stuck in there ok? We’ve got work to do.” Came Charlotte’s voice.

“Yeah, yeah. I knew you were blood thirsty.”

She laughed through the door. 

“Whatever. Just get to it, shorty.”

“I’ll have you know I’m the size of ten of your Chrysler buildings.” He called after her, hearing her walk away. 

“I’m aware. I can see you, you know.” She called back. 

Gabriel slumped back in the tub. Oh yeah. Humans these days. Absolutely no respect. 

That made Gabriel smirk and he quickly soaped and rinsed himself off before stepping out and toweling himself off. He grabbed his boxers, silk, good going dad, put them on, wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out. 

He could hear Charlotte’s hair dryer going off as he passed by her room and he smiled ruefully. He really was grateful that he wasn’t going to be subjected to those silk sheets that night. Especially after a night of partying. Especially as a human. He snorted and made his way into his bedroom, taking the towel off and using it to dry his hair. He’d used her shampoo since he didn’t have his own. It smelled like strawberries. Smelled good. 

Gabriel stood in front of the dresser mirror in just his skivvies and took a gander at himself. Short (although of average height when he’d first acquired his vessel) but he wasn’t fat although he had the tiniest of pudges. Normally his angel metabolism took care of that and he narrowed his eyes at it before blaming his dad. It was literally impossible for him to have gained weight whilst dead which only left one culprit. Gabriel shrugged. There was nothing for him to do about it now and in all honesty it didn’t look bad. Made his vessel look more comfy, more lived in in a way. He liked it he decided. 

He eyed his hair and thanked his dad for not messing with it. It was still on the longish side, albeit not nearly as long as Sammy’s had been in that morbid video he’d watched, still the same golden hue that it always was. Gabriel didn’t know when it took on that color. It started out as whiskey colored but had turned gold over the years. Gabriel wondered if it somehow the color of his wings had bled through or if time, eons, millennia, had simply changed it. 

His eyes hadn’t changed though. Those had always been a honey/gold combination and it seemed that they were the same even now. He leaned in and sure enough, around his irises was a gold band. 

Back when he was an angel and angel’d out, his eyes would sometimes glow blue and he’d been known to make them glow gold just because he felt like it suited him better and for a moment he wished he still could but then again, he couldn’t have that and still be human and he was an indestructible human so he’d much rather be that. 

Gabriel turned away and put the pants he’d selected beforehand on. They were skinny jeans and he was surprised his dad was actually caught up in fashion. He definitely wasn’t going to be wearing those relaxed jeans. He wasn’t a dad, for his dad’s sake! The pants he chose were white wash with rips in the knees. For a shirt he chose a vibrant red button down with white horizontal stripes. He knew his pants were made specifically for him by his dad when they reached the top of his ankle as they were supposed to and he didn’t have to alter them, not that he could now anyway, still he sent up a quiet thank you and hoped that wherever his dad was, he’d heard it. 

Gabriel liked jewelry and was pleased as punch that his dad had known that too as he looked through several pieces before ultimately settling on a few black and silver pieces. He preferred gold but felt like silver suited his outfit better. Finally shoes. After looking them over, Gabriel decided to forgo the much more sedate black ones and instead he put on some shocking red Chucks that matched his shirt. Gabriel was both surprised and yet not. He thought when his dad left he’d stopped paying attention to his kids. Turned out that either he still kept an eye on them or because he was God his brain (?) still soaked up all the information in the world and he’d merely pulled at it when creating all this to Gabriel’s taste. Gabriel couldn’t help but hope that it was the former. 

Gabriel ran a brush through his hair and spritzed on cologne before ensuring he had his phone, smartwatch, wallet and keys before walking out. Idly he wondered what kind of car his dad had gotten him. He hoped it was a fast one. He was already going to miss being able to fly everywhere. It would be worse if he had to sit in some family style four cylinder car. No, he needed to at least feel like he was flying. Feel his wings as it were. Of course no car was that fast but he hoped for the next best thing. 

Charlotte and Gabriel walked out of their respective rooms at the same time and stared at each other, assessing each other’s outfits. Charlotte wore a black jumpsuit of some type, with a plunging neckline, bronze gold earrings dangling from her ears and smoky makeup on her face. Her hair hung in waves around her face and she wore a cropped dark wash denim jacket, frayed and distressed in a few key areas. On her neck was a necklace with a sigil of some kind on the face of it. Gabriel took a step closer to inspect it and was surprised to recognize it as his own. 

“Hey! That’s me!”

“I know,” she said shyly. “Even before today, I was a Gabriel fan.”

“Well, thank you.” Gabriel said, honestly flattered. “It’s usually Michael that people pray to or think of when they think Archangel.”

“Yeah, well. I love reading and I came across this set of books called Supernatural, by Carver Edlund, featuring a set of brothers-“ her voice trailed off as she stared into space before shaking herself out of it. “Holy shit. Sam and Dean Winchester. Apocalypse. Supernatural. Are those books real? You turned Sam into a car? You killed Dean over a hundred times?”

Gabriel flinched and he looked down at his Chucks. “Um…” 

“Hey, no hard feelings here. I was just putting the pieces together. As I was saying, those books introduced me to the idea of a Trickster Angel and I ran with it. I’ve been a Gabriel fan as far as I can remember. I can’t believe I didn’t put that together sooner.” She mused before continuing. “Yeah, you’re right. Sam and Dean could not have been the ones doing those cold blooded murders. We’ve really gotta help them clear their name.”

“Whoa, kid. Let me stop you right there. I did not come back to fight. I hate fighting. Left home because of it.”

“Mmhmm, I know. An Apocalypse was your Sunday dinner, right?”

“How? Oh, right. That’s in the books too I take it?”

“Yup. It’s all in there. I have a set if you’d like to read them.”

“Sounds like I better. Besides if I’m in them, they can’t be all bad.” Gabriel smirked at Charlotte.

She laughed and ruffled his hair. “Of course not, Loki. You clean up nice by the way. You’re not straight are you?”

Gabriel barked out a laugh at the change of subject. He shook his head at her. “Nope. Pan. How could you tell?”

“How could I not? Everything about you screams flamboyant. You’re gay and proud.”

Gabriel shrugged. “It’s not a sin.”

“Although I doubt you’d care even if it were, I can’t deny that it makes me happy to hear you say that. My mom- she was a hardcore fanatic. In her church, it sent you straight to hell. Brimstone and fire and all that.” She waved a hand as though to send away unpleasant thoughts before asking- “Hey, do you have a car? Because all I’ve got is a motorcycle. Or we can Uber.”

“I don’t know who or what Uber is but I found these keys so lets go see what my dad got me.”

Charlotte nodded and turned to a door Gabriel hadn’t seen before. It was off the kitchen, next to the refrigerator of all odd places. Charlotte opened it and clapped twice. The lights turned on. 

“Clap on light?” Gabriel asked with a laugh. She narrowed her eyes at him. “So I’m a little bit of a nerd. Sue me.”

“I’m not judging kiddo. Just enjoying our similarities. Had I always been human, I think I might have had a clap on too. Maybe a disco ball put in every room. As it was a mere thought was enough to turn on lights and I could make a disco ball come and go at my whim.”

“I’m glad you’re my favorite archangel. We go together pretty good. I’m glad to be your friend.”

Gabriel paused. He wondered if-

“Hey, don’t look like that. There was a reason I was happy gay is not a sin earlier. I’m pan as well but I tend to go for girls. I really do just want to be your friend. Besides I read this thing called fan fiction about the Supernatural series and I’m a hardcore Sabriel shipper.”

Gabriel stared at her. “Kid, you realize I have no idea what you just said, right?”

Charlotte laughed heartily. “Come on, lets uncover this baby and see what your dad got you. I’ll explain at the restaurant. I get first dibs on driving since I know where we’re going.”

Gabriel hesitated. 

“What? I’m a good driver. I’ll be careful. Promise.”

Gabriel shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s the opposite actually. Can you drive fast? I’d like to remember what it was like to fly.”

Without waiting for a response, Gabriel lifted the cover off the car and Charlotte gasped. “Oh, God. Abso-fucking-lutely. This is a V8 baby. It’ll take us 0 to 60 in seconds. Come on, keys, keys!” She exclaimed excitedly, holding her hand out while pressing a button on the wall to make the garage door go up. Gabriel tossed them to her and walked over to the passenger side. Thinking about it, he actually had no idea whether he could even drive or not. He never had before. Why would he? He had wings for dad’s sake! 

The car was a Dodge Viper, deep purple in color, with only two box seats. It fit Gabriel but was still surprisingly roomy. Charlotte squealed once she was behind the wheel and Gabriel had to hold on when she peeled backwards after only a quick glance. “Whoa.”

She glanced over at him as she adjusted the stick shift. “Hold on sweet cheeks, it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”

And with that Charlotte pressed her foot down and then they were flying down the road.


	2. Nobody Drinks Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention that the title of this fic is from the song "Angel With A Shotgun", by The Cab. I was originally going to use it on a Cas-centric fic but decided that Human!Gabe using a shotgun was just as cool. Hope I don't regret it later, lol.

Chapter Two

 

“I’ve wanted one of these since I was a little girl.” Charlotte gushed as she narrowly avoided one car and cut in front of another. Gabriel wanted to ask her not to speak and drive at the same time. He eyed the speedometer. They were doing 115mph down the highway and Gabriel was holding on for dear life, thanking his father effusively for bringing him back immortal. Charlotte clearly had a death wish. 

“I remember the first time I saw one. I was at a Dodge dealership with my parents. They were buying a Dodge Caravan. A fucking minivan in case you didn’t know when I saw one of these on the floor. I asked my dad what it was and how much it cost and I vowed to have one at some point in my life. I could now but my parents are gone and my dad will never get to see it and I don’t know, that makes me sad somehow. It feels pointless.”

There was a beat of silence. 

“What happened to your parents?”

“My daddy died of cancer. Fuck cancer. My mom followed a year later. You know statistically, in a long marriage once one goes, less than two years later, the other follows? My parents were married for 45 years. I kept hoping and hoping she wouldn’t and I used to call her every day to check up on her but one day she didn’t answer. All day. And when I woke up the next morning and she still hadn’t, I knew. Sure enough, I went over to her house and let myself in and there she was. Asleep on the couch. Not asleep but you know what I mean. She went in her sleep, which is a much better way than my dad went but still, ya know? They were my parents. I was a daddy’s girl and I mourned his loss hard when he died and now? Well, now I’m all alone.”

Charlotte was driving much more sedately now, the relaying of her story expelling the excitement out of her body. Gabriel would have sighed in relief except he didn’t like the story either. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

“You don’t have any siblings?”

She shook her head. “No. I used to be married and that was enough. I lived for him but then he cheated on me with his own gender and well, that was that. A decade, down the drain.”

“Damn kid. Rough life.”

She smiled at him. “Nah, it’s just life ya know? It could have been worse. I was never abused, I was loved. My dad loved me. My mom did too obviously but my dad. I was the apple of his eye. I was never beaten, never went hungry, nothing bad ever happened to me. There are humans who are monsters too, you know? It could have been much much worse.”

“What sort of work do you do?” Gabriel asked, wanting to change the subject. Of course he knew humans could be monsters. Those were his specialty. He just didn’t want to scare his new friend off quite yet. 

“Actually nothing now. Although I’m thinking of taking up painting. I used to as a child and my teens but my husband didn’t like the mess so I stopped. A year ago, just after our divorce was finalized I won the damn lottery. Can you imagine? Divorcing me and now I don’t have to split it with him?” Charlotte laughed. “Karma baby.”

“Anyways, I used to be in accounting. It was terribly boring and tedious and I hated it but I was there for a decade because my husband loved my income and I did everything I could to please him. Unfortunately I couldn’t grow a dick so…” her voice trailed off. 

“Why would you have had to share?” Gabriel was still stuck on that part. 

“Texas. Community property state. If you’re married, even common law married, and you split, everything splits down the middle.”

“What’s common law married?”

“When you’re not legally married but have lived together and shared a home for more than six months, you’re considered common law married. You have many of the same rights as a real married couple.”

“Humans.” Gabriel snorted. “Everything is so complicated. Much easier when you have powers.”

Charlotte laughed. “I’m sure. Anyway, we’re here.” 

Gabriel peeked out the window, eyebrow furrowed as he took in the strip of restaurants in front of him. Montgomery Plaza was emblazoned across the top of the building and they were parked in front of Sushi Axiom. 

“Well, here goes nothing.” 

She grinned at him. “You’ll love it. Promise.”

Gabriel followed her out of the car, watching as a few heads turned to check both of them out. They did look pretty good. “Did I mention you look nice? Because you do.”

“Archangel Gabriel, are you checking me out?” Charlotte winked at him, mirth in her voice. Gabriel smiled widely at her and shrugged. “Just saying.”

“Well thank you. You look fabulous yourself. Since you just came back from the dead and all, lemme know if you want to get laid. I’ll be your wingwoman.”

Gabriel gasped and almost tripped over his own feet. 

“Bloody hell! I hadn’t thought about that. I’m a virgin. Charlotte, I mean Charlie! I’m a virgin!”

She stared at him, mouth agape before speaking. “Damn. You’re right. Are you sure you want to give it up to just anyone? I’m not offering but seriously…lets go in, I really need to explain Sabriel to you.”

Gabriel’s mind raced as he followed her into the restaurant, past the waterfall at the entrance and to the table that they were led to. He’d never really given sex any second thoughts. He’d had sex a million times but it never meant much to him because as an angel…he didn’t know but it didn’t seem to feel like a big deal but now? Now he was human and suddenly who he lost his newfound (giving born again a whole new meaning) virginity to seemed important. Of course Sam came to mind but he quickly rid himself of the thought. No way Jose. Not happening. What he needed to find was a nice girl or guy that he cared for and maybe that would make it memorable. Maybe Charlotte? They didn’t have that spark exactly but they were both pan, they could easily create it. Probably. Maybe. His body gave a slight shudder. Charlotte was beautiful but he’d already put her in best friend/sister category and wasn’t sure he could take her out of there no matter how hard he tried. The feeling was made worse by Gabriel’s realization that he’d never had a best friend. How could he, being who he was? He’d spent eons masquerading as something he wasn’t and running from the people who knew him. He wasn’t able to relax, to let his guard down, at all. Even Sam and Dean had only wanted to have him around for what he could do, not for who he was as a person or being. Whatever.

But Charlotte? Charlotte had asked for nothing. Charlotte already knew him thanks to those books and Charlotte adored him. Wanted to hang out with him for him and no other reason. Was this love? Was this what love for a friend felt like? 

Gabriel’s throat choked up as he looked over at her. She was so beautiful. Her face held several piercings, a septum, a nose and two on her neck. The studs there were red and he couldn’t help but wonder how that even worked. The thought gave him some pause. It seemed his dad was right after all. He’d been around humans for a long time but he really didn’t know anything about them. Oh, he knew about the bad ones but he’d never gotten to know the good ones like Charlotte. He’d been missing out. 

“…to drink sir?”

Gabriel startled at the waiters voice and he looked over at Charlotte. 

“Can I order for you?” 

He nodded and she turned to the waiter. “We’ll take two gingerbread apple martinis please.”

“Any appetizers?”

“Sure. Bring us the pan fried dumplings and shrimp spring rolls.”

“We can share.” She said, looking back at him. He just nodded. 

When the server walked away he asked her. “Are those piercings on the side of your neck?”

“Yup. Can you guess what they’re called?”

Gabriel stared at them for a moment before shaking his head. 

“That makes sense since you know what an actual vampire bite looks like but to the rest of the world, vampire bites consist of two fangs, you know? And then two drops of blood appear. It’s not messy at all,” she mocked the rest of humanity lightly and he chuckled along with her- “anyways, that’s what they’re called. Vampire bite piercings.”

“Huh. Well humans are definitely inventive, I’ll give you that. So!-“ he clapped his hands “-gingerbread apple martinis. I’ve had a lot of drinks in my time but never that combination.”

“They’re spectacular!” She gushed. “They’re seasonal, only available around this time through Christmas. You’re going to love them.”

He smiled at her, affected by her infectious enthusiasm. 

“So? Sabriel?” He arched a brow at her and her smile grew. 

“Ok! Yes. My favorite subject. So from the Supernatural books, this whole fandom came to be, basically people who use the characters and their mannerisms and personalities and use them to create their own stories. But although some people write stories that stay more canon, that is to say, on par with the series, most people divert from there and write their favorite pairings or what they feel should be pairings. At the beginning it was all about Wincest, Sam and Dean together.”

Here, Gabriel stopped her when he arched a brow, a skeptical look on his face. “People do know they’re brothers, don’t they?” Charlotte laughed. “Oh, yeah. It’s just that they seem to be incredibly close in the beginning.” Gabriel nods. He understood that too well. “I agree. Their degree of codependency although legendary is what I once deemed to be unhealthy.”

Charlotte nodded. “Yeah, I know. I’ve read the books. You really thought killing Dean over and over would work?” 

“In my defense, I didn’t know them all that well then. Truth be told, I still don’t. I wonder if they’re still alive. I mean earth is still kicking but I wonder at what price.”

Charlotte stared at him for a minute. “You know, not to get off track here but one of the theories out there is that Chuck the prophet was actually God masquerading as one.”

“Who’s Chuck?”

“A prophet who was helping them.”

Gabriel shook his head. “There’s not a prophet named Chuck.”

“There is in the books. And he changes so much at the end of Swan Song. Where the whole time he was there he was a drunkard, unkempt and dirty at the very end he’s wearing a pristine white shirt, hair is done but the most telling thing is that he completely disappears. Just vanishes in thin air after smiling a serene, I know something you don’t know, smile that reads almost as a smirk.”

Goosebumps appear on Gabriel’s skin and he unwittingly shivers. That sounds a lot like his dad. His smirk was the one thing Gabriel copied off of him. Why not? After all, when not compared to the knowledge his dad had, Gabriel had more knowledge than all of humanity put together. 

Their drinks arrive then and both Gabriel and Char take healthy sips, Gabriel moaning at its crumbly yet sticky sweetness, Charlotte smiling at his antics. 

“Anyway,” Charlotte says, going back to their original conversation, “once Castiel appeared on the scene, his deep soulful stares with Dean, the fact that Dean barely has to state his name and he appears whilst he completely ignores Sam’s actual reverent prayers, his statement of his and Dean’s ‘profound bond’, well the fandom had a whole new pair to ship and thus Destiel was born.”

Gabriel almost chokes on his drink. “You’re kidding. Destiel? Oh my dad, that’s fabulous. You humans certainly have inventive imaginations. What I can appreciate there is that I also had to deal with a soulful stare or two in the small amount of time I spent with them so I can actually see where the notion is coming from. Profound bond indeed.”

The young man who is serving as their waiter stops by again, this time bearing their appetizers. His name is Khaek, he’s from Laos and is studying chemistry. Gabriel finds all this out during his conversation with him regarding what was good from the menu. Charlotte just sits back and takes it all in. Once she’s ordered her Temptation Roll and chicken fried rice and Gabriel has ordered the TCU roll and the Tuna Flaming Tower, Charlotte shakes her head. “It’s incredibly bizarre to realize that you’re sitting in a restaurant with an archangel Gabriel. That kid would shit bricks if he knew he you were.”

“I’m nothing right now and trust me kid, even then I wasn’t much.”

“You know, humans who are Christians often say that God always has a plan and well, I can’t help but wonder if he has a plan behind you being human for a while. Maybe he wants you to understand what it is to be human before you can truly appreciate what it means to be an angel. Not power wise but emotion wise. It’s hard to understand something without walking in their shoes but you being human will make you a better angel. You’ll understand why you’re so important. You’ll understand what it is to have faith, what it mean to feel helpless, hopeless, what it is to know that sometimes the only way to keep putting one foot in front of the other, to escape the drudgery of life is to believe that there’s something more out there. That there’s a higher calling.”

Charlotte points at her necklace. “I prayed to you before I even knew you. Always have, always will. I asked for help from time to time but most of the time I just wanted to wish you a good day. I wished that you were happy, alive and well, flying when I couldn’t, amongst the stars, having a drink on a cloud, just existing. And while now I know you didn’t have anything to do with it, when I prayed for something and it happened, even though I didn’t know for sure you didn’t have anything to do with it, I still thanked you. I didn’t need or want your help, I just wanted you to exist. Of course, I can’t speak for all humans, but I feel like most of us are that way. We just want you all to exist.”

Gabriel popped a dumpling into his mouth as he mulled her words over. She was right, without being human there was no way to understand them and getting rid of his powers was not something that he would have previously done. Not when it would have made him so vulnerable to, well, pretty much everything but by making him immortal his dad had put his mind to rest. He felt comfortable in partaking what it meant to be human knowing he was safe. 

Gabriel swallowed before speaking. “I’ll do my best.” 

“I’m sorry I didn’t hear your prayers. When I left home, I turned many aspects of my “angel-ness” off so that I wouldn’t feel compelled to help someone out and get found out. In fact, until the Apocalypse all my siblings thought I was dead, that’s how long I’d been gone. Of course now they think I’m dead again and I was but… Anyway, I thought about contacting one of my siblings earlier but I don’t know who is alive or dead and I don’t want to tip anyone off.”

“Why did you imagine me drinking on a cloud? Believe it or not, that’s not one I’ve done.”

Charlotte laughed. “In one of the Sabriel fics I read, Gabriel is texting Sam while having a mojito on a cloud where he’s chilling.”

Gabriel laughs at the imagery before freezing as he thinks it through. “Wait. Sabriel. You mean Sam and Gabriel don’t you?”

Charlotte’s eyes light up. “Ah, you figured it out. Yes. My favorite ship and One True Pairing, otherwise known as OTP. Sabriel. You and Sam would go so well together.”

Gabriel narrows his eyes at her. “Charlie.”

Charlie’s face reddens. She knows what’s coming.

“Do YOU write Sabriel fan fiction?”

“Um, no?”

“You don’t know?”

Charlie fidgets but doesn’t answer. A look of relief coming over her face as she spies Khaek, heading their way, food in hand. 

Gabriel shakes his finger at her but drops it for a moment as Khaek begins to place their food down. “This isn’t over missy.”

They both dig in with gusto, simultaneously exchanging food with one another and Gabriel tries sriracha for the first time as Charlie has squeezed some all over her chicken fried rice. Gabriel starts to choke from the heat and quickly takes several sips of water. Charlotte looks on with amusement. 

“Can’t handle the heat, huh?”

“Shut up Char. We aren’t all spice freaks. Are you trying to kill me?”

“Oh. So bitter.” She laughs openly at him, not even trying to hide it. Gabriel glares at her. 

“Oh, calm the hell down. It’s only a little spicy. It’s nothing compared to how hot Mexican food can get.”

“Can you cook?”

“Hell no, my mom was the cook in our family, but I know some authentic Mexican restaurants that I go to when I want to eat that.”

Gabriel takes a minute to ponder that. “So you don’t cook at all?”

Charlie drops the smile for a second before putting it back on but Gabriel’s already seen it. “Nope, now you have to tell me. There’s a story there, I can tell.”

She nods slowly. “Yeah. Long story short, I used to cook but in the beginning of our marriage my husband had anger management issues and he would do things like declare my food disgusting, throw it away or throw it at the wall, that I would have to clean up mind you, and I don’t know, at the time I thought I was so strong for not letting it get to me but in hindsight…well, one never gets away from that unscathed. After a few times I stopped cooking and I never did it again. I make good tamales though. My dad taught me before he died and I spent 6 years making them with him every time the holidays came around. I didn’t make any last year though. I couldn’t imagine making them without him. Maybe I’ll make them this year. In his memory.”

Gabriel was still reeling from her confession even though she’d moved on. “Your husband is a dick. If I still had powers I’d show him a thing or two.”

“Heh. I don’t know Lo. I still care about him an awful lot. If it wasn’t for his…proclivities I’d still be with him. Hell if he’d told me he wanted an open relationship I’d’ve stayed. Unfortunately he lied and cheated so…” Charlotte sighs. 

“I know you don’t like it but writing Sabriel saved my life. Getting to write you and Sam, Cas and Dean, it gave me an outlet from my own life crumbling. I was able to escape for as long as I read or wrote and by the time that I came back to the real world, I came back a little more healed than I went in. Like I said, I know you don’t like it but I wanted you to know the truth. To understand what it means to me. It meant more than taking some characters and inserting smut. It was a refuge. A life I could delve into and completely immerse myself for a while.”

“There’s smut?”

Charlotte laughed. “Yup. There’s smut. Boy is there smut. Really makes you wonder about the authors. There’s everything from vanilla sex to BDSM to foot play, wing kinks, food kinks, pretty much everything you can think of. Some fics don’t have plot and are called PWP’s, porn without plot, it’s explicit as fuck.”

“What do you write?”

“Fluff with angst. Not heavy angst because I can’t do that to my favorite characters but mostly where Sam goes through a long process that ends with him respecting and loving the hell out of Gabriel and Gabriel learning what it means to love and be loved because he mostly just feels unworthy.”

“Huh. I wonder which one would be worse for me to read. Me doing unholy things to Sam or going through some therapeutical bullshit.”

Charlotte winked at him. “Well, not to give away any spoilers but in many many fics it’s Sam that’s doing unholy things to you.”

Gabriel’s jaw dropped. “Shut the fuck up.”

“Hahaha. I can’t. It’s the truth and nothing but. Apparently Sam likes it a little rough and Gabriel likes being dominated.”

“My half brother!” Gabriel exclaimed, completely red in the face. 

Charlotte looked at him blankly. “What?”

Gabriel waved her away. “People say Jesus Christ for everything but he’s my half brother, you know?”

Charlotte cracks up as she puts the last of her temptation roll in her mouth. “You’re such a fucking goof, you know that?”

Their meal wraps up a few minutes after that and Charlotte pays even though Gabriel offers. That move also stuns Gabriel. He doesn’t think anyone has ever paid for him. He fought her on it of course but usually when he does that with anyone else, they fold easily especially since their offers to pay are half hearted at best. People expected him to pay. Even when all he ate was bloody dessert. 

He follows Charlie out and she leads him through a walkway that leads to the opposite side of the building.   
“Where are we headed?”

“You’ll see. You’re in for a treat.”

Gabriel follows Charlie on the sidewalk, neither saying anything more until Char stops in front of a store way and Gabriel looks up. It’s called Pop ’N’ Cream and when he looks through the windows he feels like he’s back in heaven. Lined up on one side is popcorn of every kind, caramel, salted caramel, hot popcorn, white cheddar, regular popcorn, jalapeño popcorn, he squints and can see the signs of even more gourmet popcorn: dill pickle, spicy buffalo, toffee almond and, is that…yes, it is. He didn’t even know this existed. Oreo. He used to love Oreo milkshakes. He’s practically salivating and he hasn’t even entered the store yet.

Charlotte holds the door open for him, grinning at the way he’s smiling like a mad man. “They have old school candy, too. Taffy, bubble gum, all the retro ones. Ooh, and they have ice cream. Blue Bell all the way, baby.”

“Blue Bell?” He asks a little absentmindedly, agog at trying all the samples out. “Texas staple,” she responds, “Texans almost went crazy a while back when they stopped selling for over a year due to E.Coli or Salmonella or something.”

“Hmm.” Is all he says, making a beeline for the popcorn samples. Dad, there’s even more than what he saw from the outside, Red Velvet Cake, Confetti, Cinnamon Toast Kettle. It’s a play land made especially for him. He quickly collects empty little plastic tins from where he’s sampling so many, while the attendant looks on in amusement. 

Thirty minutes finds them munching on the treats of their preference. Char went with Oreo ice cream drizzled with caramel in a waffle cone, Gabriel is eating a mix of Cinnamon Toast Kettle Corn mixed with Oreo and he also had them put caramel over the whole thing. In his mouth it tastes like heaven. In the other hand he holds his own cone. Walnut Brownie with, yes, caramel. What? Caramel goes with everything. 

Charlotte laughs at the moans he can’t hold back and goes to get them two sugary drinks, retro Root Beer for her, Orange Cream soda for him. He thinks again that Charlotte would have been perfect for him. Even though it’s been, well, forever since he loved a human, he can already tell he loves her. He just isn’t in love with her. Bummer. He looks over at her taking a swig of her Root Beer, eyes shining bright. “You like root beer, don’t you kiddo?” She burps delicately, covering her mouth with her hand, the sound barely audible, in fact Gabriel’s not sure he would have heard it but it seems that good hearing is something else he kept. He can even hear her heart beating, the blood rushing through her veins. It’s a little distracting but he wouldn’t be an archangel if he couldn’t compartmentalize all the shit. 

“I do. It’s my favorite soda in existence. I like going to Cracker Barrel because they sell different kinds.”

He shakes his head at her. “I’ve not been there either.”

“Oh, the places we’ll go.” She quotes at him. He waves his cone at her, pausing to lick the strip that melting and heading down his wrist. “I recognize that one. Dr. Seuss.”

“Got it in one.” 

“Really though,” she continues, “We’re going to have a lot of fun teaching you about humanity. Finding out what your strengths and weaknesses are. Can you swim? Without wings are you scared of heights? We can go to Aspen to ski, dive deep in the ocean on Catalina Island, we can play tourists here in Dallas- Fort Worth, we can-“

“Can we get a dog?”

Charlotte laughs. “We can do that too. Ooh and a cat. I love cats. Wait to do you still want me to go or can I stay?”

Gabriel shrugs before answering. “Just stay. Angels were supposed to be in others company, we needed to feel each others grace and love. You’re not an angel, hell I’m not an angel, but stay any way. Be my companion.”

“Thanks! I can sleep with you too, you know.”

He cocks his head at her, brow furrowed but she waves it away and goes on with her explanation.

“One of the hardest things for me is sleeping alone. I don’t know how you feel about it but I’m very capable of snuggling up with someone in a purely platonic way. I’m game if you are.”

Gabriel’s about to say no, about to comment that that’s weird but he thinks a bit on it and realizes that with Charlotte and virtually only her, it would most decidedly not be weird. In fact, he’s pretty sure he’d love that. 

“Deal.” He smiles at her.

She smiles back at him before nodding towards his goodies. “You about done with that?”

Gabriel exhaled, feeling like the night is closing on him all of sudden. She notices the abrupt change in his demeanor but doesn’t comment, knowing it’s due to their upcoming activity. 

“Must we?” He asks in a small voice, looking down and away from her. 

“If not tonight, we’re just putting off the inevitable. Wouldn’t you’d rather just know? Otherwise you might end up being a hermit for a while.”

Gabriel thinks it over. “Yeah, you’re right. Alright, where we headed?”

“Basically, same street, just a mile away. Come on.” 

They scoot their chairs back, the sound of scraping echoing throughout the small space, at least that’s how Gabriel feels it. It’s loud and jarring to his ears, making him cringe and bite the inside of his cheek. He throws away the remains of his food and follows in Charlotte’s stead, wondering if he should tell her he wants to put it off after all when she stretches a hand out to him. “Come on, Sweets. You can do it.”

That makes him break out into a grin. “Sweets?” She lifts a shoulder. “Seems fitting.”

“You’ve no idea, kiddo.” 

______________

Gabriel watched the scenery go by. Not that there was much of a scenery, it was nothing but restaurants and retail stores. Chipotle, T-Mobile, banks galore, Wing Stop, etc. Then they were on a bumpy road and Gabriel saw that it was because the street changed from gravel or cement or whatever the hell streets were made out of to a brick road. 

“Twould be cool if it were yellow.” He muttered under his breath.

“Huh?”

“You know, yellow brick road.”

“Yeah, no, I got that. Did you say “Twould”?

“Maybe. So? It could be a word.”

She laughed. “Quit trying to impress me with the use of the word twas.”

Gabriel thought for a moment before responding. 

“Twasn’t trying to.”

She stared at him for a moment and they both cracked up. 

“You. Are. So. Dumb.”

“Hey, no. Archangel here. We are literally weapons of mass destruction.”

She snorted. “So are nukes. That doesn’t make them smart.”

He shook his head. “Point, kid.”

She grinned at him before turning back to the road; giving him some history on the place they were traversing as they made their way to the bar.

“This road is original. It’s part of the Cultural District here on Camp Bowie. It’s made up of museum’s like the Modern Art Museum or the Kimball Art Museum, that’s where I got married, the rodeo at the Will Rogers Coliseum, in February we have the Stock Show, every year it brings over a million people from different states in to Texas. A couple of years ago, a single steer was sold and purchased for $240k dollars. We also have the Omni, it’s an IMAX theatre with the largest screen around, amazing acoustics, and plays 45 minute documentaries that are beyond fun. I’ll have to take you there. You’ll have popcorn and Sprite, maybe a candy bar and you’ll enjoy it. Finally, on the outskirts is the Casa Mañana. They do live theatre. I haven’t been in a long time but I have fond memories of it.”

“You got married in a museum?”

She huffed out a laugh. “Seriously? That’s what you got out of this?”

“Well, I was going to ask you why I have to have Sprite and why you know so much about this place? It’s random. I use to know someone like that. Sam actually. I forget you know about him. Sam Winchester knows the most random of facts.”

“So do you. If Sam likes knowledge, he’d fucking love you. Have you guys ever sat down and hung out?”

Gabriel stared at her. “Fuck no! Besides what the fuck could I possibly tell him that he’d find interesting?”

She stared at him incredulously. “Are you fucking kidding me? You know EVERYTHING. Literally EVERYTHING. You have every opportunity to float his boat. You could talk to him about the creation of every single fucking thing, talk to him about how earth was created, how stars and constellations were, how dinosaurs really died, hell, you could tell them what they were really like, you could talk to him about angels and how they work, really, Lo, you have the world at your disposal.”

Gabriel stayed quiet. 

“You seriously thought you had nothing to say? You’re the KING of random knowledge because every word that comes out of your mouth is the absolute truth and no one knows it but you and few others.”

“To be honest, I’d never thought about it like that. I truly thought I didn’t have anything to talk to him about. You know, I think my dad wants us together. I just don’t know what do to with that information.”

“What gave you that idea, if you don’t mind my asking.”

Gabriel pulled out his wallet and showed her at the stop light they were at.

“He named me Gabriel Winchester. The older one is taken, one is straight, that only leaves Sammy.”

“And how do you feel about that?” Charlie asked him, turning to the right. Gabriel could see a bar immediately and wondered if that was their destination. 

“I don’t know. Confused mostly. Dad’s never really taken an interest in me. Luci was his favorite. Why now? Why me?”

“Why not you?”

“Hmm. If I had to explain it I’d say that I’m on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell. I’m not a hero, Char. Every day I get closer to something I just don’t know if it’s heaven or hell.”

They were parked before Charlotte spoke again and Gabriel wondered momentarily if he’d broken her until she turned to him. 

“I don’t know how anything up there works, nothing. I’m just a human. But Gabe, what if your dad was always watching. What if he was letting you do what you had to do, regardless of what side it fell on, because that was your path? What if now, your mindset, your experiences that have made you who you are now, was exactly what he wanted you to be? He couldn’t tell you that, he had to let you live it?”

Gabriel bit his lip as he thought it out. She waited him out patiently until he spoke up. “Truth be told, all of that seems to be more than my mind can comprehend at the moment. I’ve got to sleep on that shit.”

She patted his arm and smiled. “Come on then, Sweets. Let’s go have some fun and see if we can’t find ourselves a baddie.”  
Gabriel unbuckled his seat belt, waited until Charlotte had re-apply her lip stain (“Don’t call it lipstick, Lo. That makes me feel old.”) and then followed her out. They weren’t even at the door when she placed a hand on his arm. “There.” She said lowly. 

“Where?” Gabriel looked at the group of men and women sitting on the patio, smoking and imbibing. He narrowed his eyes in a useless attempt to see with his True eyes. Nothing. They all looked human to him. He sighed. This sucked. 

“The quartet by the last table in the back. One woman, three men. They’re all vamps. Unless something else out there has rows and rows of teeth, that is.”

“Welll…we could try to bait ourselves. But I’m immortal. Dad told me so. You’re human. This could very well be a terrible, horrible no-good, very bad idea.” Gabriel told her. 

She stared at him. “Really? A children’s book?”

He laughed and shrugged. “What? You did it first.”

She shook her head at him. “Let’s go get beers or whatever it is you want to drink and we’ll go sit by them, as close as we can. We’ll see what we can see.”

“Alright kiddo, it’s your funeral, although hopefully not literally.” 

She threw him a face that reminded him of Sam’s legendary bitch faces and continued up the steps where the bouncer (who had dreads-absolutely yummy if you asked Gabriel) was checking id’s. 

He nodded at them and pointed to the entrance before telling them in a gravely voice, “go on in.”

“You got it big boy.” Gabriel couldn’t resist. He heard Char snicker next to him and he spared her the briefest glare before turning back to smile brightly at the man. 

The man shook his head. “I’m flattered but straight.”

“Booo.” Gabriel stuck out his bottom lip and both the bouncer and Char openly laughed. 

“You’re alright man.” The bouncer told him, shooting a smile his way, before turning the people who were waiting behind them. 

“Come on, Sweets. Let’s get this party started.” Char said, grabbing his hand and guiding him behind her. 

He followed her in to a dark bar, tables and chairs scattered throughout, on a stage a Metallica cover band played, the sound raucous and discordant in some places. He stopped and took a look around, there were a couple of pool tables with a few people playing around them, a few dartboards, even a ring toss thrown haphazardly on the floor. The people were something else too. Everyone seemed to be wearing plaid shirts that had been made into vests or sleeveless shirts or something. Everyone had a heart and gnarly hair, ball caps were abundant, and girls in daisy dukes were a dime a dozen. 

“What is this place?” He hissed at Char. “And what the fuck do you come here for?”

She laughed and handed the bartender her card to open a tab. “I’ll have a Michelob and he’ll have a…?” She looked at him quizzically. 

“Strawberry daiquiri? He asked hopefully, knowing the answer even before it come, in the form of a shake of the bartender’s head. “Margarita?” “No.” She growled at him. 

“Um…Long Island Ice Tea?”

She stared at him for a long moment before turning around, grabbing Charlotte’s beer and sliding it across to her, then turning back, mixing a few things in a glass and handing it to him. 

It was lime green. 

“What is it?” He asked hesitantly. 

“Jolly Rancher. I can make that, a Vegas Bomb, and a Royal Fuck in form of a drink. Those are the fruitiest things you’ll get here.”

Gabriel took a sip and grinned at her. “You’re actually a sweetheart underneath all that growl aren’t you? This is great!” 

She scowled at him and turned to another patron in response. 

Char laughed and put her arm around him. “C’mon, let’s go outside.”

They went out the small space that led out to the back, smelling the restrooms that they walked by, dad! That was a stench. Smelled like piss and vomit. “How was someone already drunk enough to vomit?” “I have no fucking clue. Shit is ridiculous.”

They nabbed the small two seater table that was to the right of the vamps. The woman looked them over with interest and Gabriel held his breathe for a moment but then she tipped her beer slightly his way and that was it. Hmm. “I guess she can’t see me.” He whispered to Charlie. 

“Guess not. Still, in books, vamps can hear quite well. Is that true? Could she hear us at regular levels?”

She had a point. Gabriel nodded at her before grabbing his phone and shooting her a text. 

“Yes, they can hear very well, can see very well and can run hella fast.”

Pulling out her phone, Char read it then responded. 

“So when we talk about them we’ll text just to be safe.”

He nodded at her and put his phone away. 

They sat there as he resumed the questions she’d not responded to previously. 

“So, Char. Why Sprite and what in dad’s earth is a ‘stock show’?”

 

_______________

Charlotte had been explaining that the Sprite from the Omni was obscenely good, “it’s the only Sprite I’ll ever drink” when they heard a loud voice call out, “Gabriel Winchester? Charlie Middleton?”

Gabriel waved his hand toward the bouncer, the one who had allowed them entrance. “Right here.” He called out. 

The bouncer walked over to them and handed them their id’s. “I’m so sorry guys. I kept your id’s on accident.”

“It’s no problem.” Gabriel said, pulling out his wallet to enter it into its slot while Charlie did the same. 

“So.” Gabriel said. 

“Phones.” She cut in. 

“That’s a fake ID!”

“No shit, Sherlock. I told you, I don’t like people knowing my real name. Why the fuck are you walking around with that? I thought you went by Loki?!”

“It’s the only thing my dad left me. I didn’t even think about it until now.”

“I’m making you one that says Loki on it. You can decide your last name for yourself or I can just put what I use. It would work in our favor either way. Should we ever need it we could be brother and sister or married.”

Gabriel was still reading that one when another one came in. 

“Don’t look now but our vamps are heading this way. Be ready.”

Gabriel’s heart started accelerating. Ready?! For the fuck what?! And how was he supposed to be ready? He had nothing with him. Like a fucking idiot, he’d not even carried his angel blade. Half-fucking-brother. If he died his dad was going to kill him. 

He quickly pockets his phone and as he does so he tries his hardest to calm his rapid heartbeat, he knows that they can hear it, idly he wonders how Charlotte’s is still so calm. He eyes her only to see her taking a swig of her beer, looking straight at the vampires, the look on her face only slightly quizzical. 

The female sidles up to him: “Your name is Gabriel Winchester?” 

Gabriel’s mind races as he tries to figure out how to respond, he can hear his heart rate starting to accelerate yet again when, much to his relief, Charlie speaks up for him, taking the attention off of him. “Yes,” she says, sticking her hand out, seemingly without a care in the world, “and I’m Charlie. What’s your name, beautiful?” The vamp stares at her hand with some disgust before taking it. “My name is Natalie and I am most definitely not interested.” Now Gabriel’s hackles start to rise, he’d heard stories about Texas but seriously? She’s not even human! Who is she to have such narrow-minded prejudices? 

He’s about to give her a verbal what-for but stops at Char’s shrug, “It’s no skin off my nose, I’m equal opportunity and then some. Who are these handsome specimen with you?”

The female vamp hisses, inadvertently giving away just who she is in the quartet of vamps. Leader, Gabriel’s mind supplies helpfully, albeit uselessly. Char finally has the decency to look taken aback…”Whoa. Down girl. I didn’t realize it was that kind of party. Here I was thinking you were against all…proclivities…nice to see you’re not nearly as right-wing as you appear to be.” Gabriel realizes Char is purposely pushing the envelope, looking to see where she can make the vamp fuck up. Gabriel decides it’s time to step in and help. 

“She’s right, you know. Those men are looking tasty. Wouldn’t mind taking a bite.” He says purposefully. One of them is dressed in a suit that makes him look so out of place where they are. It’s the land of plaid, even they (him and Char) look a little out of place but this guy is wearing leather everything and his shirt is mostly made of chains, giving a clear view of his nipples. He’s wearing motorcycle gloves with the tips ripped off. Beautiful body that Gabriel is sure he uses to his advantage when it comes to taking victims and for a moment he angers but the vamp’s next words quickly replace the emotion with one of mad humour. 

“I like boobs.” The male vamp hisses. It would be menacing but seriously? “Boobs”. 

“Shove a gerbil up your ass…through a tube. Let the little rascal nibble on your asshole. Who knows maybe you’ll be screaming ‘put it back in’ before it’s all over.” Charlotte supplies helpfully. 

Gabriel stops and stares at her before guffawing loudly. “Bitch, did you just quote Eminem at him?”

She smiles broadly back at him. “Oh, you knew that one? Fack!” They crack up as the vamps just stare. 

Finally, Charlotte turns and arches a brow at them. “So? How can we help you?”

The leader still looks pissed but something crosses over her face and she surprisingly back down and says, “You know what? It was obviously a case of mistaken identity. I thought I knew your…friend? Here but I clearly don’t.”

Before either of them can respond, the vamps turn around in unison, something that makes Charlotte shudder, and they walk away. 

Gabriel watches as she gets her phone and taps something out- a few seconds later his own phone pings. 

“That shit was creepy af, wasn’t it?”

“Maybe. What’s ‘af’?”

Across from him Charlotte snorts and she looks up to see where the vamps are, seemingly deeming them far enough away to quit with the texting. “As fuck”, she says aloud. 

“Oh.” Gabriel responds, putting his own phone down. “Yup.” 

“You know they’re probably going to follow us home right? There’s no way they are going to give up that easily.”  
Charlotte nods. “Yeah.” We could always try to lose them. We could hit up my favorite club, Hooky. Dance until the cows come home, go to Dallas, they have a couple clubs that close at 4am and then go to IHOP after…hell, we won’t get home until the sun is coming up.”

Gabriel grins at her. “You’re a girl after my own heart. I used to love to party.”

She tips her beer his way. “Damn gay.”

“I thought the saying was ‘damn straight’. It changed while I was gone?”

Char laughs, taking another pull of her beer before responding. “People do say damn straight but I’m gay and I saw it in a meme somewhere, probably Tumblr, that we should say ‘damn gay’, just for kicks, ya know? I really liked it so I ran with it.”

Gabriel smiles at her, genuine and warm. “I really like you.”

“Same, Lo. Same.”

___________________

 

An hour and a half later, finds them thirty minutes away from midnight and Char, the self nominated designated driver, closes out their tab and pulls Gabriel with her to the car. Gabriel had wondered if his dad had left him with the ability to drink out the wazoo without becoming inebriated and has found out that no, he did not. It’s only been four human beers, nothing compared to the Asgardian mead he used to steal and he’s already feeling a little buzzed. To his knowledge, Char also had four beers but she waves his observation away with a comment about how she drinks as much as Dean. Four beers is nothing. 

“You ready to dance?” She says, leaving the bartender a healthy tip and signing on the dotted line with a flourish. “Yup.” He hiccups. 

Char, the little shit, laughs. 

“Come on, lightweight. We’ll have to get you something lighter, maybe beer. Otherwise you’re not going to last. Then again, if you dance all the songs with me, maybe we can sweat it off.”

“ ‘m not lightweight.”

“Of course you’re not.” 

“I can hear the eye roll.”

“Yeah, yeah, come on. And try to be alert. We don’t know if they are waiting for us or not.” Char says quietly. Gabriel perks up at that. She’s right. He can’t afford to get caught. Well, he can but not Char and he’s already attached so…

Charlotte was incredibly interesting, he’d found. She, like Sam, told him more random shit regarding the city they were in and he took it all in. He took her in. He’d come back from the restroom and caught her with her head tilted forward, hair parting, revealing a small tattoo on her neck. 

“What’s this?” He’d tapped.  
“My dad was an Aquarius. It’s for him.”

“On your neck?”

She’d shrugged. “That’s how I found it on Pinterest…I wasn’t clever enough to think of a different placement for it. Hadn’t even thought about it until just now, actually.”

It was how matter-of-fact she said things that could be considered self-deprecating that got to Gabriel. He felt like he’d found the one human who know they weren’t perfect and they were ok with it. The Winchesters could learn something from them, he thought. They were too fucking angsty. Of course some shit was their fault but, still, shit happened, one couldn’t live self-blaming their whole fucking life. You had to let shit go. 

The car beeping brought his attention back to the present. Gabriel looked around belatedly, shit, he’d completely forgotten to be alert. His guilt must have displayed plainly on his face because Char arched a brow at him in askance and he shrugged. He didn’t want her knowing she’d done all the work. 

Char just shrugged back at him, another thing he liked about her, she didn’t push, she just let him be. You could learn something from her, dad. 

Gabriel slid into the front seat, again feeling unprepared when Char had the insight to check their back seat, as small as it was. Deeming it clear and free of any and all vamps, she slid into the front seat. 

“I meant to ask, how do you know Eminem, anyway?”

Gabriel laughed out loud, feelings of worthlessness melting away. “One of his songs says, ‘I’m the bee’s knee’s, his legs and his arms, I’m a superstar.’ I heard that song first and it seemed fitting so I became a fan.”

She smiled at him before pulling out of the parking lot. “I know that one. ‘So Bad’. One of my favorites too.”

They travel the rest of the way to the club chatting lightly about music. Char impresses Gabriel when she pulls right up to the entrance and parks. “Perks of being a VIP.” She tells him, smirking. “I call Hooky my place of worship, my church. The DJ stand is the pulpit.” Gabriel laughs. 

Gabriel goes to open the door but Char stops him. “Wait.” He watches as she leans over and opens the glove compartment and pulls out a small pistol and a blade. “Which do you want?” 

“They won’t do much against any actual monsters.” 

“Silver bullets and blade won’t?” 

“Oh. You’re a smart cookie. Not against everything but most things, yes.”

She gives him another smirk, entirely too pleased with herself for getting one over him. He rolls his eyes at her, good naturedly, before taking the blade. 

“You sure you don’t want the pistol?” 

“Nah. With a blade you have to get close to inflict any punishment and I’m still immortal. You, my dear dear friend, are not. I’d rather have you as far away from the baddies as possible.”

Char smiles at him, the smile reaching her eyes, something he’s noticed that she doesn’t do for everyone. 

“I’ve known you one day. Is it too soon to tell you I love you?”

“Nope.” Gabriel responds as he adjusts the weapon in the back of his pants and turns to open the door. “I love you too.”

Charlotte exits the car at the same time he does and his heart flips when she catches up to him and she conversationally tells him, “You know, I haven’t had anyone tell me that since my mom died.”

Then they’re at the entrance and Gabriel watches as she turns up the charm, gets the bouncers like she knows them, that is to say, hugs all around, introduces him as her friend, Lo, and takes him by the hand again before heading inside the doors. 

Gabriel has never prayed to his own dad. But in that moment he does. 

I’ve never loved a human the way I already love Charlotte. Please protect her when I can’t. Please keep her alive. I can’t lose her. Please, dad.

He follows her in, letting the loud country music and the neon lights wash over him, all the while wondering if his dad is listening then pauses as he thinks that’s how humans must feel. Always praying, never knowing if the prayers are being listened to. He knows he wants his to be heard and he knows without a doubt that others do too. 

For the first time in a long time, if ever, Gabriel makes a promise to himself. He’s turning on the prayer line as soon as he can and he’s never turning it back off. He hasn’t ever focused on finding the good people out there, people like Charlotte who deserve all the love that the universe has to offer and for a moment Gabriel can practically see it. Showing himself to those who believe, helping them out, strengthening their faith, showing them what “God” is really like and he can’t help but smile. He likes the idea of it. 

 

________________

 

Somewhere high above several galaxies, Chuck smiles to Himself. His son is so wonderful. He made the right choice, for once it seems. He thinks of the others and wonders if they’ll accept their second chance as well as His Peanut did and feels a tug somewhere where His heart would be. He certainly hopes they will. He wants His family back. He has to fix it. 

For now though, He’ll answer His son’s prayer, even if he doesn’t know it. He makes Char safe. She will be safe forever. “Luck” will perpetually be on her side. He smirks to Himself and wonders if Gabriel will figure it out. Probably.

Looking down into the recesses of hell, Chuck reaches down and pulls both of His sons out, not all that gently. They’ve screwed up and whilst He knows that He did too, He’s still disappointed in them. He really thought they had better sense than this. Had more love…more something. But no, somehow Sam and Dean Winchester, have proven to be capable of more love for one another than His own firstborns. 

He briefly wonders what He should do with them. Keep them together? Separate them? What abilities should He leave them with? He thinks about taking away Lucifer’s strength and leaving Michael’s but thinks better of it. Lucifer needs to learn to be kind. Perhaps the best way to do that is to make him the strong one and hope that seeing his brother helpless will appeal to his once kind state. Chuck glances down to where Lucifer is struggling against Him, even at that state, trying to get at Michael. Hmm, maybe that wouldn’t be the best route either. 

He continues to hold them as He thinks it through. He glances down at them from time to time but still their fighting hasn’t abated and He knows that putting them together would not end well and anyway that’s not His goal. His goal is to get them to love His humans. He starts to get the beginning of an idea and He quickly delves into their minds to make sure He’s getting it right and is surprised when He finds out He’s wrong. Lucifer doesn’t hate humanity nearly as much as Michael. Michael blames humanity for everything going to shit, whilst Lucifer just blames him. 

Mind made up, Chuck deposits Michael on an empty bed at a shelter in Moab, Utah, one of His own personal favorites. He hopes that there, amongst those that are at some of their lowest points, His son will learn to love humans and more importantly learn to love to help them. He hopes that being around so much nature that they created together will remind him of the good times they had together. He hopes He gets to see His son willingly climb Delicate Arch. He and Michael built that one together. He wonders if Michael will remember and call out to him there or if His son will be bitter and angry for the rest of his days. He wonders if He should tell him he’s immortal as He told Gabriel, but stops. Something tells Him He shouldn’t so He doesn’t. 

He watches as Michael wakes. Disoriented and still fighting. A old memory drifts to Chuck’s mind and He’s shocked to find out that He placed things into place a long time ago for this moment specifically. A young woman makes her way over to His son. A woman whose great great great great great great grandmother was placed there, specifically by Him. Apparently at some point He knew He’d need her to be there. The young woman is one of the few completely full Native Americans left. She has two gifts. Not an empath, like Gabriel’s Char, but can also see True Forms due to gifts passed down from her great grandfather, grandfather and dad as shamans. Her other gift is telekinesis. Chuck isn’t sure where she picked that one up from aside from sheer will. He chuckles to Himself. It’s true that most humans only use ten percent of the brain He gave them, but that doesn’t mean that the rest isn’t available to them and as this young lady has uncovered, the rest allows gifts not had by everyone. 

He mentally gives Himself a pat on the back for having had the foresight to put her there although that does beg the question of why He hadn’t known He had. He sighs. There’s only one meaning for these kind of brain gaps He seems to be suffering from and only one way to fix it. It’s going to come down to His sons. He glances down at Lucifer and sighs again. He has a lot riding on this. He hopes they come through but as He watches His once favored son still fighting uselessly against Him, He can’t help but feel like maybe none of it will work out. 

He needs to cheer Himself up and so He checks in on Gabriel and Char and finds Himself smiling as Char teaches Gabriel how to two-step to someone called Koe Wetzel. It takes him a few times, but in no time Gabriel is working it like a pro before switching gears on Char and spinning her around like he was born in Texas. 

The boost is just what Chuck needs and when He looks back down at Lucifer He doesn’t feel as dispirited as before.   
Carefully, Chuck lifts Luci up to eye level and smiles at him, effectively shocking His son so he actually cuts out the battling shit. Not that it was actually bothering Him, it was akin to a gnat bothering a human. You can’t feel it but the fact that it’s happening is annoying. Makes you want to swat it out of orbit. Hmm, maybe…nah, He promised Himself He’d give them a fair chance. 

Besides, and He’s never admitted this to anyone but He’s not convinced it was all Lucifer’s fault so much as His own. His son, as previously seen is still the same. He just wants to be loved. He wanted all of Chuck’s love before and that’s all he really wants even now. He never understood how Chuck wanted them to love someone else more. Or maybe he was afraid that they wouldn’t love him as much as Chuck had. Maybe it was just a case of “I’m going to get you before you get me.” Chuck snorted. His son was essentially afraid to catch feelings, lest they not be reciprocated. 

Well, Chuck knew just how to fix that. There were two things in the world that loved unconditionally and Luci was about to get put into smack dab the middle of it. Hmmm, and to make things even better, His son was going to learn the beauty of hot chocolate, fire places and lots of snuggling. 

But where to place him? The possibilities were endless…Chuck looked around and then made His decision.

 

________________

 

Lucifer wakes up shivering and immediately notes two things happening to him. Peering one eye open he looks up into the chunky face of a brown small girl, jet black hair framing her face, wide brown eyes looking into his, tongue sticking out as she hesitantly but consistently pokes him with a stick. He doesn’t know much about humans but does know that this one seems a bit young to be alone…although perhaps the canine currently licking his cheek is her companion. 

“OMG! I’m so sorry!” 

Lucifer had closed his eyes again, when the voice startles him and he falls off the…bench(? Looking to the right he sees that he’s right, it was a bench) and hits his head on the concrete. Wincing he rubs the back of his head as he glares at the person who screamed in his bloody ear and says the first words that come to mind:

“What. The. Fuck?”


	3. You Are Mine, and I Am Thine, and No Power On Earth Shall Make It Otherwise

Hooky is a fucking blast and Gabriel can’t believe that this is his first time in Texas. Of course, he’s been everywhere, he’s been in what is now Texas but he’s never seen it like this. A. He’s human and B. He’s never gone out to enjoy the nightlife here and C. He’s never done it with Char or anyone like her before. She dances to every song that’s either country or latin, nose furrowing with displeasure every time a hip hop song plays. That’s the only time she sits. The only time she turns down an offer to dance. The rest of the time? No, anyone who comes to offer a dance gets a smile and a yes. Afterwards she’ll smile and say thank you before returning to his side and no one has yet to take offense that it didn’t mean more. Either that or these people are all regulars who recognize her. 

Gabriel gets introduced to everyone as her “bestie” and is able to chalk up another win for angel powers he still possess. His memory is still angel memory and he remembers every single name and face he gets introduced to at the small bar. Char tells him about her first time there, tells him how she started going out more when her husband admitted to his deceit, how she naturally gravitated to the place time and time again even though 7th Street-as the numerous blocks of club after club were named-had many bars. She tells him about how here was where she found herself and met various people until eventually it was the only bar she frequented. Overall it’s not much to look at, although Char tells him it’s the bar in that neighborhood with the biggest dance floor. A cow skull rotates in the ceiling, the strobe lights hitting it every so often, hues of pinks and purple lighting it up. 

In one corner, near the exit that leads out to the patio, is a big throne like chair, the name Hooky emblazoned across the top and she has him sit and pose as she takes pic after pic. After three or a dozen pictures, she comes and sits next to him and they take “selfies” using filters she shows him on an app called Snapchat. Gabriel is thankful once again for his still limitless memory, she’s throwing a lot of information at him. 

She fiddles with her phone for a bit, tongue sticking out between her teeth in concentration and he takes the time to take another look around. Several tv’s are mounted on the walls, all of them showing the music video and lyrics that go with the songs that are playing. There’s one long bar that can be seen immediately as one walks in and his attention falls to the first bartender. She’s wearing a cap, long blonde hair underneath it and a midriff. It’s at that moment that Char looks up and she catches his view. “She’s pretty, huh? Her name is Kenzie. I’m a big fan. She promised me that we’d go out sometime but then she didn’t pursue it. I was kinda bummed.” She shrugs and looks back at him in a what-can-you-do gesture. 

He smiles at her. “Her loss.”

She huffs out a rueful laugh. “Come on, let me introduce you to the Batman.”

She stands and holds her hand out at him before leading him to where “Kenzie” is laughing, head tilted back, eyes glittering at something the man standing across the bar from her is saying. He hears Charlotte’s rate speed up and smiles inwardly. Yeah, his friend isn’t as blasé about the brush off as she pretends to be. 

Her smile is genuine as Kenzie greets her. Char isn’t wrong, Kenzie seems interested, even from the small interaction that he seems between them. He wonders what held her back but before he can contemplate it further, a drink is pressed between his hand and he looks down to see a tall glass, the ingredients seeming to be somewhere blue and purple. 

“What is it?” He asks, taking a sip. 

Char waits until he tastes it and then asks, “You liked it right? It’s my favorite after beer and Crown Apple and Coke. It’s called Batman, a mix of Deep Eddy’s Lemonade and Grey Goose Vodka.”

He nods at her. “I love it.”

He and Char dance to as many songs together, (Gabriel picking up the two-step quickly and turning the tables on Char who lets out a startled laugh as he spins her around expertly) as they can but Gabriel finds a young boy, named Angel of all fucking things, that is quite the dancer and Gabriel finds himself actually enjoying the time with him. Angel is dressed to the nines and his clothing is skin tight. He looks really good and at any other time Gabriel would have easily and quickly taken him to bed but something he’s choosing not to dwell on is holding him back and by the time the bar closes, he’s exchanged phone numbers with him but knows that he probably won’t ever call him. 

Still, on the way to the car, Char explains that it’s not bad to get people’s numbers and actually talk to them. “After all, it’s not a bad thing to have friends, Lo. That way the next time we come out here our group is bigger than two people. Not that I didn’t have fun, we’re besties after all, but coming out en masse is so much fun.”

Remembering eons ago when he and his brothers used to run around together, Gabriel is inclined to agree. 

_________________

They make it to S4 (short for Station 4), a gay club in Dallas, in twenty-three minutes instead of the thirty-five it’s supposed to take thanks to Char’s lead foot and Gabriel tells her he’s sober and will be driving on the way back. “There’s no way I’m subjecting myself to that again.”

She laughs. “Oh, come on, live a little. Besides I only did it because this place closes at four and I hate getting places when I only have an hour left. This way we have a little over an hour and a half.”

He gives her a half-hearted glare and her smile grows wider. She knows he doesn’t mean it. 

“Come on.” She holds her hand out to his and like so many times that night, Gabriel slips his hand into hers, the feeling of belonging enveloping him strongly.

S4 is like no place Gabriel’s ever been in. It’s very much a gay club, like Char had told him and while it sounded cool when he heard it, he actually had no idea what to expect. S4 surpasses anything he could have imagined. Most men have removed the shirts from their person and are dancing freely, showing off pecs, perfectly chiseled abs, and mouthwatering hipbones. Others have some pudge much like how his vessel is now but Gabriel finds that it doesn’t matter, pudge or not, the freedom with which these humans are dancing with makes them attractive. Gabriel immediately unbuttons and removes his shirt before tossing it to Char who laughs before catching it. 

Together they move to the middle of the dance floor, where a small three step stage sits, a pole on each step, encouraging whomever wants to get on and give the crowd a show. Gabriel watches with interest as two men get on, one with abs and low slung pants, his dark skin glistening with sweat. The other has only the beginnings of abs but his pecs, chest and shoulders make up for it. He has a pouty bottom lip that puts Dean Winchester's to shame. He’s beautiful, jet black hair that matches his eyes perfectly. He’s not white…if anything his skin appears to be a beautiful shade of bronze. If Gabriel had to guess ethnicity, he’d say Mexican. Gabriel gives up trying to figure out which male is hotter. Of course he wouldn’t be him if he didn’t wonder what Sam would look like without the million shirts Gabriel remembers him always wearing. He giggle snorts to himself. As if Sam would ever let him see. At the same time he can’t help but what wonder what his dad sees or knows that he doesn’t. 

Char interrupts his thoughts by tapping him on the arm and when he turns she’s pointing him towards the last stage available. Gabriel glances at the other two guys and decides he’s no longer drunk enough to be able to do it. Maybe once upon a time but as of now, although he can’t explain why, he feels more shy than he ever would have felt before. 

Thankfully, Char doesn’t pressure him, just grins at him, hands him his shirt and makes her way up there. 

Damn, the girl can move. Gabriel watches with interest as his friend does a series of spins and twirls moving like pro and then one of the guys joins her and it’s all over from there. Char starts grinding on him and Gabriel turns away, not wanting to see THAT. 

He halts as he takes the image in front of him. He squints…no, yeah, that’s definitely happening. A girl has her legs wrapped around the guy, pseudo dancing but Gabriel can see that they’re actually fucking. Something about the act turns Gabriel on and his mind saves the idea…not sure why but it does. 

Gabriel turns away again, he definitely does NOT want a boner, and again there’s a drink being held out to him. He glances up and it’s Char. She smiles at him, grinning brightly, teeth flashing white as the strobe lights hit her and Gabriel can feel his face tick upward as he smiles back. He can’t believe that in one day Char has completely won him over. He used to feel like all he felt was the bad the world had to offer and maybe that’s why his dad set him up with Char, so he could see right off the bat just how wrong he was. In that moment, Gabriel is thankful to his dad. It’s a classic lesson of father knows best but Gabriel doesn’t even mind the blatant lesson. He doesn’t care what lesson Char comes with, so long as she’s there. 

Char points at the guy she was dancing with who’s currently standing next to her and yells out his name. Prince. He’s from Nigeria. Gabriel smiles, introduces himself and then, because the music is so loud he simply points at Prince’s abs and gives him a thumbs up. Prince laughs and next to him, Char is smiling happily. Gabriel’s heart warms in happiness for his friend. It’s a bit disconcerting to try to read Prince’s mind to make sure he’s on the up and up and not be able to but then he remembers that Char can feel and he trusts that she’d be able to pick up on any bad emotion easily enough. He blows out a sigh of relief before taking a sip of the drink Char got before grinning at her and mouthing a “thank you”, It’s a strawberry daiquiri. What he wanted since earlier. Gabriel makes a mental note to bless her (literally) later. 

S4 plays drastically different music than Hooky did. It’s much more hip hop and something Char called “EDM”. He doesn’t know what that means but apparently it includes songs that chant, “Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat” over and over. He laughs as he sees Char start jumping to it, like a mosh pit and he joins in, feeling the elation of the night wash through him, even as sweat is running down his back and front. 

He is incredibly surprised when the other man that had been on the stage joins them, pulling Char into a hug. She hugs him back and then turns to Gabriel and Prince, a twinkle in her eye. 

“This is Levi.” She shouts. “My ex-husband.” 

Gabriel says nothing, momentarily stunned as he doesn’t know whether to shake the man’s hand or punch him but one glance at Char’s face and he knows which route to take. He sticks out his hand and shakes Levi’s hand. 

“Let’s dance!” Char shouts at them and for the rest of the time there, that’s exactly what they do. Prince dances with Char whilst Gabriel stows his shit and dances with Levi, the good looking son of a bitch bastard. 

By the time the club closes, Gabriel has to concede that Levi does have a certain charm. He is more than classically handsome, a strong jaw, that pouty bottom lip, eyes as dark as midnight and a stellar upper body. His eyes are small but his teeth are perfect, the exact right size (something that Gabriel grumbles below his breath about as he’s always felt like his own are too small) and his smile is brilliantly white. He watches as Levi looks at Char time and time again, with love in his eyes and the rest of Gabriel’s bitterness vanishes as he catches it. There’s no denying that Levi loves Charlotte, he just can’t be in love with her because he’s gay and Gabriel can see that this is something that Char understands and doesn’t fault him for. 

Such pure goodness hits Gabriel right in the feels. Are humans really like this? Once again he’s struck with the fact that he wouldn’t know because he never bothered to find the good, only the bad, and he wonders if maybe somewhere, without realizing it, he was also blaming humans for his family having split up. He must have because when he came to Earth it was with the intent to punish. He never sought out any good souls. He knew they existed of course, he had only to look as far as Sam Winchester to know, but his millennia long cynicism helped him overlook it. He can’t help but wonder how much he’s missed. For all his calling out of Luci, telling him that humans were good, better, than they were, it wasn’t exactly because Gabriel believed it. It had been more of a recitation of sorts, he said it because he knew his dad believed it but now, even after only having “met” these few humans, Gabriel realizes that his dad was onto something. Now the only bitterness he feels is inward. He could have had a family, several times over, but it was only his own elitist attitude that held him back. 

Gabriel’s thoughts get interrupted as someone bumps into him and as he turns, something in a small silver capsule of sorts is pushed under his nose. 

“Popper?”

Gabriel doesn’t know what he’s talking about but before he can question him further he’s being pulled back and then Char is right there telling the guy in no uncertain terms to “get fucked”. 

The guy shrugs and walks off and Char turns to him. “Are you ok?” She shouts at him. He nods. 

“What was that?” He shouts back. 

They get interrupted as dim lights come on and the music shuts off somewhat abruptly. 

“Drugs.” Char says, no longer having to shout. “It accompanies Molly but even by itself it gives you a sort of high for about two minutes. It’s heady but not everyone has a good reaction to it and I don’t want your first foray into drugs to be that.”

“Do you do drugs, Char?” Seems like there are many layers to Char. 

“I’ve tried a few in my time but I don’t take anything regularly. How about you?”

“Basically the same as you. I’ve lived for millennia, I’ve tried just about everything but these new designer drugs elude me. I’ve not tried them.”

“Plus you’ve not had them as a human. You don’t know what your reaction could be.”

“I’m immortal, remember?”

“Doesn’t translate into your existence being pleasant. Remember the paper cut?”

“True.”

Char smiles at him and takes his hand once again before leading them back to where Prince and Levi are chatting and putting their shirts back on. 

Char gives Levi a hug and tells him she’ll see him around and Gabriel watches him walk away, he notices that she didn’t invite him to iHop. He wonders why. 

________________

 

Prince accompanies them back to Fort Worth, tells them he stays somewhere called Aledo anyway and that Fort Worth is on the way. On the ride there, Char encourages Gabriel to text Angel and find out if he’d like to join them at IHOP. Gabriel tries to argue that it’s 4am and that Angel is probably asleep but Char insists and sure enough, Angel replies with a “sure” within seconds. Gabriel isn’t sure whether to be excited or apprehensive…and when did he become so acquiescent? This human thing is really fucking with his ability to say no. Must be cause he can’t just snap out…or, he thinks as he glances over to her, more likely it’s Char. Something about her makes it difficult to say no to. He’s surprised that he doesn’t mind. It’s only been one day and he’s conceding to Char’s every wish. He shakes his head at himself. What even?

__________

 

IHOP stands for International House of Pancakes and once inside, Char is once again greeted by two servers who are her friends. She quickly introduces the others and as they are led to their table, Angel shows up and Gabriel (tentatively) waves him their way. 

As he sees him get closer, Gabriel lets out a laugh. Angel is in PJ’s. “Were you asleep?” 

“Nah, I was gaming.”

Char grins and explains. “One of the best things about IHOP is that you can show up in virtually anything and it’s understood. It’s 4:40 in the fucking morning. They don’t expect us in day clothing, to be honest.”

“Cool.” Gabriel responds, his eyes raking over Angel’s body. They aren’t pj’s, exactly, now that he’s looking closer at them he realizes they are more like loungewear. Just like his jeans, these pants also fit Angel’s body perfectly. They are black and ruched at the leg. He’s wearing them with colorful Nikes and a green shirt. He looks pretty good actually. 

Char kicks him in the shin and he startles, glancing up at her. She grins at him mischievously. 

“Are you going to scoot over for your friend, Lo?”

It’s against Gabriel’s will to blush but apparently his face has other ideas and the table laughs as Gabriel turns red. 

They fall into conversation easily, Angel bringing up gaming a bit and to Gabriel’s surprise, he’s also a Supernatural fan. 

“Who’s your favorite character?” Gabriel can’t help but ask. 

“Sam. Although, before he died, it was Gabriel.”

Gabriel almost drops his fork in surprise. “Really? You didn’t think he was a coward?”

Angel actually scowls at him. “No! No one has to do what they don’t want to do. If he didn’t want to help, he shouldn’t have had to. Not only that, but Sam and Dean should have found a way to save him. Hell, Sam could have said yes to him so that he wouldn’t die there.”

“But Sam wasn’t there.” 

“Sam shouldn’t have left. Gabriel clearly knew he was going to die.”

“He did?” Gabriel asks carefully. He’s never told anyone that. 

“Well duh, think of it this way…the end of the world was going to be brought upon by two archangel’s fighting. Gabriel and Lucifer were two archangels. If Gabriel had really fought, considering he had powers as both Loki and Gabriel, don’t you think something more than merely the hotel being destroyed would have happened?”

Gabriel gasps. This fucking kid figured it out. What the fuck. 

Across from him, Char is staring at him with wide eyes that are rapidly welling up with tears. They stare at each other for a few beats blocking out the other two until: “What’s Lo short for anyway?”

“Loki”. Gabriel says without thinking.

“Is your other name Gabriel?”

Gabriel’s head snaps around and he’s about to ask how the flying fuck Angel knows that when he almost belatedly spots the grin on Angel’s face. He’s joking. Oh sweet, half-brother. 

Gabriel forces out a laugh. Fuck, that was close. 

He huffs out a laugh and instead of responding, reaches over to grab more syrup. They had placed large orders of pancakes with the waitress and they’d been brought a whole smorgasbord of items, all on the house, thanks to Char’s connections. Seemed everyone loved her. Gabriel understood it but wondered if Char saw it. Her comment earlier about how no one had told her as much since the death of her mother stung and he made a vow to meet her friends and let them know that saying the words was important. 

He watched as Char got up, pointedly ignoring him. After a beat he got up too and followed where she was heading to the restrooms. 

“Char?”

“How could you?” She hissed, swirling to turn to him. 

Her anger was palpable…and Gabriel didn’t get it. 

“How could I what?”

Char looked like she was about to scream but then her features smoothed out and she held out her pinky at him. “Promise me. Promise me you won’t do that again when you get your powers back. I want you to promise me not sacrifice yourself again.”

Gabe stared at her finger…”With a pinky promise?”

“Yup.”

Gabriel nodded. “Ok. You promise not to either right?”

“Damn gay.”

_________________

It was half past six in the morning when Gabriel and Char finally make it back to their house. Char maneuvered (Gabriel had lost the fight to be the driver) the Viper in the garage when the driver door was yanked open and the vamps they'd worked so hard to elude were there. Gabriel sat in shock as he saw Char move in a flurry. She was an excellent fighter but she shouldn’t have had the power to roundhouse a vampire, a feat that in itself was incredible seeing as how they were in such a tight spot. Now the vampiress was in a headlock. By a human. By. A. Human. 

That wasn’t possible but before Gabriel could ponder it further, his own door was flung open and he was being pulled out. “Um, no.” Gabriel stated, surprising the vampire when he yanked his arm back, simultaneously rotating his arm so that he was holding on to the vampires arm and they both watched as Gabriel pulled it right off the body. 

Just as the surprise registered on the vampire’s head, Gabriel whacked him on the head with it. Coming at them sideways. The nerve. 

Gabriel made quick work of the vampires using muscles that had long gone unused as he moved. They saved the vampiress for last so that they could question her. Having seen her clan just get destroyed, she’d lethargically and monotonously answered their questions without a fight. 

She’d come after them because he was a Winchester. 

“They killed the Mother.”

“Eve?” Gabriel asked surprised. 

The vampires nodded. 

“How did- when did- what?” Gabriel didn’t even know how to proceed with his line of questioning. What was Eve even doing out? Who had summoned her? Why?

“The alphas for all of us were being killed. Only our papa is still alive. The Mother came back but the Winchesters killed her. They’re going to get what’s coming to them though. They’re here and they’re going to win.”

“Why were they being killed and by who? Also who? Who is here?” Gabriel asked having caught her very empathic /they’re/. But she refused to answer and so Gabriel just filed it away, something to be uncovered at a later time and resumed with his initial line of questioning.

No, she couldn’t see anything beyond his frame (“what am I supposed to see?” Gabriel almost hadn’t responded but he was going to kill her so he figured there wasn’t any harm. He smiled cruelly even as Char laughed out loud when the vampiress paled further when he announced himself).

No, there weren’t anymore of her people out there. 

Gabriel killed her quick and easy with a machete that materialized in his hand, courtesy of Char who was panting slightly but was otherwise unharmed. 

After they’d burned her out back, Gabriel had turned to Char. 

“Charlotte?”

“Yeah.”

“You shouldn’t have been able to do that.”

“Do what?”

“Restrain a vampire. You’re human, no matter how strong you are, they’re stronger, faster. You sure you’re just human, kid?” Gabriel asked a little warily. It dawned on him again that he’d only known her for one day. Suddenly he was a little nervous. 

…until Char held her pinky out. 

“Promise.”

It had only been one day but this pinky promise business felt real to Gabriel so he apologized to her, held his pinky out to hers and enveloped her in a hug before they walked inside their home, arm in arm. 

By the time they had both bathed again and got in their pj’s it was nearing eight in the morning and Gabriel could barely see straight whereas Char was as chipper as ever. 

“How are you still standing on two feet?” He grumbled at her. 

“I’m a night owl. I can go without sleeping for two or three days easily.”

“That cannot possibly be healthy. I thought humans required sleep.”

She shrugged. “I got it from my dad. In his prime he could party for days. I can too.”

She followed him as he walked to the bedroom. 

“Well, kiddo, I’m dead on my feet and you did promise me cuddles so hop in, we’re going to sleep.”

Char laughed but got in. 

“That’s cool, actually I have no problems falling asleep, I just don’t need to, if that makes any sense. But yeah, lets go to sleep. Oh and Gabe?”

“Yeah?” He asked as he got in and wrapped the blankets under his feet.

“I’m the big spoon.”

They both laughed at that but Gabriel acquiesced. It felt good to be held. It had been so long. 

The last thing he felt before drifting off was Char placing a soft kiss on the back of his neck and wrapping her arms around him. 

Very good indeed.  
__________________

Meanwhile in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

 

“I am so so sorry! My niece is only two, she doesn’t know she shouldn’t poke people with a stick while they’re sleeping. Luci!” The guy’s voice ended on a high note as he turned to address his niece. 

“Don’t call me that. It’s Lucifer.”

The man turned back to face him. 

“No, actually, it’s short for Lucinda.”

“Excuse me?” Was this ape looking thing seriously making fun of his name? “My name is Lucifer, not Lucinda.” He said indignantly. 

“No- wait, what? Your name is Lucifer? Did your parents hate you?”

“Listen to me you-“

“Up, up, up.” The man made a sort of motion with his hands at Lucifer, crossing one over the over before pointing at the small ape. “Little pitchers have big ears.”

Lucifer let his head fall back before straightening it once more and growling lowly. “I have no bloody clue what you’re referring to, ape, but if you would be so kind as to take your…your cretin with you and go, that would be most amenable. “

“Cretin? Did you seriously just call my niece a cretin? What the hell’s the matter with you, man? And don’t call me an ape. Are you insane? Don’t you know who I am?”

“Unless your name is Michael there’s not much you can do to me so no, I don’t know who you are and most importantly I don’t care. Go away.”

The man huffed but thankfully grabbed his creature, (also known as small ape, Lucifer mocking thought) in one hand, the mutt in the other, turned on his heel and left. 

Lucifer watched him go, using one hand to block out the sun. 

He was reminded of the cold when he shivered. He looked around but there was nothing around him, not even more people, he shuddered in disgust. 

Where was he anyway and more importantly, WHY was he? He leaned back and shivered again as he tried to get acclimated to his surroundings and ran through the last things he remembered. 

He jerked up as he remembered. It was his DAD. His dad had pulled him out (and Michael) but why he didn’t know. And he hadn’t even deigned to speak with him. Same old dad. He took another look around, trying and failing to stretch out his wings. He was wingless. He was a human. A fucking human. 

Fuck you, dad.

There was a white bag next to him, with red piping. It was nice but he refused to give his dad any credit. Still…he found himself reaching for it as the wind hit him yet again. With somewhat shivering fingers he opened the bag and found a white sweater at the very top. He pulled it on and knew immediately it was magicked. Or dad’d if that was such a thing. Which, with his dad, that was certainly possible. The sweater was warm and it made his whole body warm and impervious to the cold air that had previously permeated through him. 

He rifled through what was obviously his shit until he’d gone through everything before sighing and sitting back. 

He was not amused or pleased. In the letter he’d found from his dad, it had been explained to him that he was human now. His new assignment? To learn how to be human, “son” . Well. He refused. He sat back down, determined to wait his dad out. He was planning on sitting there forever when he found himself on the front steps of a small cottage with a red door, smoke coming out of the top, his backpack half falling off his shoulder.

Whomever lived inside had a chimney. _See, I know about humans and chimney’s_ , he thought, childishly, practically sticking his tongue out at his dad as he hitched the backpack strap up higher.

He hung his head and took a deep breath before lifting his hand. Exhaling slowly, he knocked on the door. 

_____________

…in Moab, Utah…

 

“Sir! Sir! Calm down, it’s just a bad dream.”

Michael heard the words but they didn’t register so he kept clawing at the air. 

Then he was frozen and wide blue eyes snapped opened and turned to look at the brown ones so dark as they looked black. 

“Angel. I’m going to let you go now, ok?”

Michael might have nodded…if he could. As it were, he currently could not. How was this human restraining him? And how did she know he was an angel? Michael’s mind raced as he struggled against an unseen force that took away his mobility. 

“Angel. Stop struggling or I won’t let go.”

Michael stopped. 

She smiled slightly at him. 

“What’s your name, angel?”

“Mikha’el”. Michael didn’t know why he’d given his dad given name when he hadn’t used it in ages, in millennia really, since before Lucifer rebelled. He’d stopped using it when the one who always called him that versus “Mikey” (freaking Gabriel) was gone. What had prompted this?

“The angel, I’m sorry, archangel Michael?”

Michael nodded mutely, looking away from her and looking around. There were somewhere with tons of beds, some filled, others empty but with enough humans to make Michael itch. It was a well hidden secret that he didn’t like humans. Had it not been for them, his dad would still be home, he wouldn’t have had doubts about the Apocalypse, hell, it would have gone according to plan…but he digressed. What in his dad’s name was going on? The last thing he remembered was fighting to the pseudo death with Lucifer in the cage, then their dad pulled them out and the pain that came with being stripped of his wings. He wondered why his dad let him feel the pain. Was he being punished? Granted he’d suspected as such when the Apocalypse went to shit and he was sent to hell but being stripped of your wings was akin to a human have their direct nerves punched. Why would his dad allow that and not just that but allow him to remember? Did he hate him? Was this more punishment? 

He’d been sent from the cage to this? To- to humans stretched out on their cots, talking, in one instance belching non too delicately, all looking like cattle and some giving off the stench of one. And even that was something of an insult to heifers. Michael could feel his heckles rising. 

A nasty coiling feeling filled him, the back of his throat burned with something Michael didn’t recognize. Bile perhaps. In an attempt to distract himself, Michael looked around. Stark white stone walls, a few pictures had been placed on the walls, full of sayings and quotes that didn’t make him feel any better. He was doing ok until he came across one of a cat dangling on a tree branch that read: “hang in there.” And Michael’s world came crashing down on him again.

No. No. No.

_Get me out of here, Father. Do it now!_ Michael could do a lot of things but living amongst humans as a human was not one of them. Michael waited, a frown filling his face when nothing happened. 

Anger burned through him as thoughts of revenge entwined with what the fuck was he going to do now, when his dark reverie was interrupted by the brightly grinning female human who Michael now noticed had a peacock feather sticking out of her bright teal hat.

“Welcome to my humble abode, Blue Eyes.”

__________

 

Gabriel woke to a head full of hair that smelled like the strawberry shampoo he’d stolen the day before. For a second he was disoriented but then all the memories came back and he grinned. Char. He was with Char. Sometime throughout the night their roles had switched and now he was the one wrapped around her body. He looked at her face, love flowing freely through him as he caught how serene she looked in her sleep. He hoped she was having good sleeps and not any nightmares about the previous night.

_Thank you, father. For protecting her last night. I know it was you._

He ran his fingers lightly over Charlotte’s side before tickling her. She startled but immediately started fighting back, flipping over him and pressing down into him. Gabriel laughed. “You know I can take you, right?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. 

“You can try.”

Gabriel laughed before placing a hand under her belly and lifting her into the air. She squealed and batted his arms, peals of “I’m scared of heights, LO!” Made him laugh and when she finally muttered “uncle” in defeat he brought his arm back down. 

“You play dirty.”

He grinned widely at her, “I was the Trickster.”

“Yeah, yeah. You suck ass.”

“Hey! Not that often!”

They both dissolved into giggles at their childishness and after a few more minutes of laughter and stupid pun telling ( Char: “What’s your favorite vegetable?” Gabriel, shrugging, “none of them?” Char: “Weird. I would have taken you for a carrot because you’re good for the eyes.”), and some major eye rolling later, they both got up. 

“You know we need to talk about yesterday’s anticedents, right?” Gabriel asked Char, almost somberly as they headed into the kitchen, presumably in search of coffee. At least that’s what Gabriel was going for. 

She looked at him and gave him an eye roll. “Why so serious? Lighten up. Yeah we got blindsided but it all worked out and we got the bitch. Plus I’d like to point out that the only reason we got found out is because someone’s dad didn’t hook him up with any fake id’s.”

“Yeah, well…” Gabriel didn’t have anything to say to that. 

“It is kinda funny to imagine God making fake id’s.” Char muttered as she motioned him over and had him look through the rack that held several different flavors of coffee in small little cups. Gabriel had just settled on Texas Pecan Pie when a very audible “Ahem” was uttered from somewhere and the two swung around. 

Before them, placed on the island were two “real” fake id’s. One for Charlie Middleton and one for Loki Middleton. 

“Spoke too soon, it seems like. Apparently God is ok with breaking a few laws.”

Gabriel side eyed her before responding. 

“He _is_ the law.”

Gabriel laughed openly at the way Char’s mouth gaped. 

“Holy shit. You’re absolutely right. Sorry, God!”

Gabriel rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he grabbed one of the fluffy deep violet towel’s his dad had left him before heading out the door to go bathe as quickly as possible whilst his coffee brewed. He knew he should stay so Char could teach him how to make it but he figured there would be many more mornings to learn to do so. In any case, he didn’t like his drink too hot and figured it would be his preferred temperature by the time he got out.

“Will you please make my coffee whilst I take a quick bath?” 

“Of course, mon ami.” Char said, shooing him away.

Feeling lighter than he had in years, Gabriel practically skipped to the bathroom and made quick work of his bath and thinking quick thoughts. So his dad was sticking around. Gabriel almost prayed to him but decided against it for the time being. If his dad wanted to chat with him, he would have stayed. Also, even though it pained Gabriel to admit it, he didn’t want to inadvertently push his dad away, no, it was better to just wait for him to come and go as he pleased. Maybe this way Gabriel could hear from him from time to time instead of never. 

“Lo.” Char broke through his thoughts as she gently rapped on the door. “Coffee’s getting cold.”

“I’ll be right out, Char.”

As quickly as he’d underdressed, Gabriel dried off and ended up having to put his pj’s back on since he’d negated bringing any clothes with him. _Like a dummy,_ he thought to himself giving himself a sarcastic pat on the back.

He entered the kitchen with the towel still in his hand, drying his hair. Char had her laptop out and what appeared to be a printer that was currently going and going. 

“The coffee smells good.”

“It is. My favorite is hazelnut so that’s what I’m having. I just have mine black but I have Truvia and creamer if you want it.”

“Yes, please.”

“It’s right here, by your coffee.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“No problem. So, hey, now that we know that they can’t see you, I printed out these pages of some of the people that are like Sam and Dean and are gooey and have the teeth. Since our own personal newscaster is one of them, I wondered how you felt about kidnapping her.”

“Hang on,” he muttered, still working on his coffee. He had only put one packet of sugar because that was all she’d put out and he was certain he’d need more but upon tasting it decided it worked well enough with that flavor of coffee and he took several much needed gulps as he thought about her question before setting his cup back down. 

“There’s a few things we need to think about before we do this.”

“Such as?”

“Well, for starters, where are we kidnapping them to? Does this place have a basement? Do we even want to bring them here? You have neighbors? They’ll hear the screaming. Secondly, what if we get caught? Char, if we get put in jail, I can’t just fly us out. We’ll be good and stuck. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to go to prison. Thirdly, capturing an unknown creature makes me feel some type of way. I was before the creation of all creatures and yet, this one doesn’t ring a bell. I don’t know what it is, Char. And before you ask, no, it’s not because I’ve forgotten. Dad left my memory in tact and as an archangel, hell, even a regular angel, we have perfect memories, everything we’ve ever seen, we remember down the smallest and most minute of details. So, why can’t I remember this one? Lastly, how are we going to throw these monsters into the Viper? I don’t know, Char.”

He took another sip as he watched Char chew on her lip in contemplation. 

“Hmm. You’re right. I’m glad you brought all this up, I’m a big picture kind of gal, the details elude me.” 

Char trailed off, twirling a pen between her fingers as she did so, deep in thought. 

“Wellll, there seems to only be one thing we can do.”

“What’s that?” Gabriel asked as he finished observing the cup he was drinking out of. It was a cool cup, a tin cup that depicted the world around it, like a globe. He liked it. 

“We can buy a property that’s hidden. One where there’s no one around for miles. And we can buy a truck with a camper. But as far as the jail thing goes…hmmm…” She tapped the pen against the counter this time as her brow furrowed in thought. 

Gabriel sighed. He’d only been back less than one official day and already he was being thrown into hunting. How was this his life?

His sigh must have caught Char’s attention because she put the pen down and said, “You know what? Let’s go out for breakfast. I told you I wanted you to try some stuff you haven’t had before. Also, it’s the weekend, we shouldn’t be working on the weekend. Let’s go have breakfast or lunch, whichever you prefer, then we can go to the matinee or shopping if you need anything and then we can go to dinner and Latin Night at Hooky when it’s ten pm. You can meet some of my other friends. What do you say?”

Gabriel’s face lit up. 

“Yes! Thank you!”

Char grinned at him, the look on her face saying that she clearly knew him too well and he let out a chuckle as he grinned back at her. So he was transparent, he wasn’t going to hide who he was and further more, he didn’t have to. Char appreciated him just as he was. A niggling thought made him wonder if she’d eventually tire of him but he pushed that aside. There was a large chance she would. Everyone seemed to eventually get tired of him but for now he’d take the gift he’d been given and try not to worry about the end. 

“Are you going to go bathe?”

“Nah, I’ll bathe later, right before I need to do my hair for tonight, otherwise I’ll have washed my hair twice today and that’s too much. During the week I bathe even less, actually. But I’m naturally not very stinky so I’m usually fine. Let me just go change.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Gabriel went in and picked out some pants he had seen that resembled the ones Angel had worn to iHop. Where Angel’s had been black, his were a deep violet purple. He paired it with a black and gold zip up sweater, leaving just a black fitted tank underneath. After making sure his socks weren’t peeking out over the sides of the black Nike’s he was wearing, he ran his fingers through his hair before walking over to the jewelry. The previous day he’d spotted a simple gold strand necklace that he’d felt would go with everything. He wanted to see if that was true. 

It was. After spritzing some cologne on and checking out his ass in the mirror, he walked out of the room, satisfied. 

Charlie was sitting on the couch, waiting for him. 

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” He smiled as he gathered up his items (cell, wallet, keys, and some badass gold Armani aviators he'd found. He was pretty sure they were Char's)

Char was giving him a once over when he turned back. 

“You look good.”

He looked at her. She was wearing black ripped jeans, and black and white baseball tee with a picture of Joan Jett on it, black combat boots, and a black motorcycle leather jacket. She had thick black eyeliner on, her piercings all in place and from her ear hung a devil’s trap. She smiled when she saw him glance at it. 

“Hot Topic. Sells all things Supernatural.” 

He shook his head at her. “Demons I get but people are crazy.”

She let out a bark of laughter. “Dean said the exact same thing once.”

“He told me once I had great style. Too bad that was short lived.”

She waved away his comment. “Ehh, don’t worry too much about it. Dean’s had a rough life. He has a lot of weight on his shoulders.”

“I seriously need to read these books.”

“Yup.” She rocked back on forth on her feet. 

“What are you trying not to ask me?” He narrowed his eyes at her. 

“Fine, you caught me. I was wondering if you’d like to ride on my motorcycle. It fits two people and it’s not too cold yet where you’ll be uncomfortable.”

“I never have but sure, let’s go.”

_______________

On a couch somewhere…

 

He was sooo happy if He had a heart it would be bursting. As soon as His Peanut had uttered those words (“He is the law”) and most importantly had believed them himself, some of His own memories had come back. Not all, of course, but the more his sons believed in Him the more restored He became. Raphael, however, Chuck didn’t know what to do about them. Chuck had often pondered that out of the four Originals, they were the most stubborn, the most proud, effectively the weakest. Chuck didn’t know how to fix one problem without causing another. If he left Raphael in the Empty all of those memories would be lost. If He took His grace and gave it to the little engine that could…would the others hate Him once again? Chuck sighed and then decided to see how Lucifer had settled in…


	4. Kindness Is The Best Form Of Humanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Con't of days one and two for Lucifer and Gabriel. 
> 
> Michael is out there but we won't hear from him for a minute...mostly because I haven't decided how to make his character although the way he's leaning he'll be the most reticent of the bunch. He's being a little turd.

It had been the longest and hardest day in Lucifer’s existence and dad knew just how much first hand experience he had in long and hard days but honestly including the day he’d been cast out…Lucifer felt sure that his first day as human had been even harder. First he’d had to deal with the surprise that both he and the other guy felt upon seeing each other again. Lucifer had no idea why his father had deposited him there but instinctively knew it had to be for a specific, albeit currently unknown, reason. His father never did anything without some sort of motive behind it.

Secondly, upon the realization that his father was behind his waking up scenario (why his father had chosen a small child poking him, accompanied by her canine companion, was yet another mystery Lucifer knew he’d never get a response to), Lucifer had had to bite the bullet and swallow his pride when the small bean of a guy had opened the door only to promptly close it when he saw Lucifer standing there. Lucifer had to knock again. KNOCK. AGAIN. Like some sort of….ape or no, no, not ape, Jonathan had made it very clear that he was not allowed to say that again…along with a myriad of other things. Like some sort of peasant! Yes! He’d had to knock again and beg forgiveness like a commoner and Lucifer was anything but a dad-damnned commoner. He was an angel! A fucking archangel and his first word to Jonathan had been “Please”. 

Luckily Jonathan was polite enough not to close the door on him twice but he had positioned himself against the doorway and looked at his watch pointedly. At least, Lucifer assumed it was a watch. It was squared and pink and unless his eyes were playing tricks on him had lit up, which was nothing Lucifer had seen before. 

“You have two minutes.”

Now that he wasn’t crying out an apology, Lucifer noticed that Jonathan actually had a baritone voice. It was deeper than his own. 

Lucifer shifted from one foot to the next…unsure of how to proceed before just letting the chips fall where they may…

“So…I’m actually an angel and my dad just deposited me here.”

To his credit Jonathan didn’t even blink. 

“You’re Lucifer.”

“Yes.”

“Why should I invite you into my home then?”

Lucifer sighed. 

“It’s all dad’s propaganda. I’m good. Swear.”

“Hmm. I’ll decide that for myself.” Jonathan said turning to let him in. Something about what he said and how he said it sent a shiver up Lucifer’s spine and he almost didn’t go in. He definitely didn’t understand it. What did a shiver mean? Lucifer’s nose twitched as he thought but then Jonathan turned back and said over his shoulder, “You coming?” And something about his voice made Lucifer snap to attention and he stepped in, following Jonathan deeper in. 

The house, whilst deceptively small from the outside, was a large open space on the inside. The chimney sat in the middle of the room, basically just to quasi separate living space from dining space and the kitchen could be seen from anywhere you stood. Everything was done in neutral colors, lots of beiges and greens, lots of potted plants and vases. 

“Your child doesn’t break these?”

From what he could remember, Lucifer could recall Cain, Able, Seth and the others being terrible little apes, sorry, he meant children. Terrible destructive children.  Lucifer ground to halt. How long ago had that been? Had it really been that long since he’d been around humans? Other than all the ones he’d killed before binding Death? He’d killed children and women. Shit. That wasn’t his dad’s propaganda. He’d actually done that. 

“Why do you look as thought you’ve smelt something unpleasant?”

Lucifer was about to respond when a screeching sound startled him and he jumped out of his skin just as the same small girl came rounding the corner, dog hot on her heels. 

“Unca! Unca!”

“Yes, darlin’.”

“Why you didn’t tell me my new friend was here?”

And then Lucifer’s legs were being enveloped by the small bean and for the first time in millennia, Lucifer had felt warmth. 

 

_______________

 

This morning Lucifer woke up to doggy breath on his face and a smiling creature jumping on him. 

“Darlin’, we don’t do that to our guests.”

“But unca! Look at how funny his hair is. I just wanted to tell him it’s sticking up all over the place.”

“Hmm, does look a bit like yours doesn’t it, sweetheart?”

Lucifer peered one eye open in time to see Lucinda, or Luci for short, nod proudly. He groaned audibly and looked up at Jonathan who was currently eyeing him speculatively. 

“Might want to take care of that before coming out.”

Lucifer cocked his head. “Take care of what?”

“Your hard-on.”

“Hard-on, hard-on” sang Luci and Jonathan actually turned red. 

“Lucinda, out. The grown ups need to talk.”

Luci was an obedient child, Lucifer had noticed. When called by her actual name she listened immediately, in this case, grabbing her dog, kissing Lucifer on the cheek before doing the same to her “unca” (Lucifer still didn’t know what that meant) and walking out. 

“Christ.”

Jonathan ran his hand over his face. “I haven’t had her long and sometimes I still epically fuck up.”

Lucifer just stared at him. He had no idea what was happening. 

“…and now you’re here and you don’t even know what the fuck I’m talking about. It’s like having another Luci.”

Something clenched inside Lucifer and he frowned without realizing it, sitting half way up onto his elbows.

“Um, would you like me to try to leave? As I told you yesterday my dad put me here and I’m not sure what woud happen if I tried to leave but I can certainly attempt it.”

Jonathan waved his offer away. “Nah, it’s ok. For some reason I believe you, you’re clueless enough to be an angel and I don’t think that’s something that can be faked…unless you’re mentally ill and dangerous but I don’t think that either, Luci took to you too quickly for me to be suspicious and she’s young but I trust her judgment. There was a neighbor she did not like, he’s gone now because he turned out to be…well, anyway, for now, just try not to be around her without me until I get to know you better. I know that can be a bit hard as she does as she pleases but use your best judgment. There is much I have to teach you. But before we can get started, I need to call my job and tell them I have to take a week off. Do you know how to take a shower?”

Lucifer’s mind spun at all the information he was getting. He had no idea about anything Jonathan was alluding to but if Lucinda had not liked that man…well, he needed to be dealt with. 

“Where’s the man now?” He growled out. 

Jonathan grinned. “Prison. Don’t worry about him, he won’t be out for a long time. Shower. Come on, up.”

The word prison gave Lucifer the shudders. He’d do his best not to go to prison. There wasn’t anywhere he wanted to be stuck in “for a long time”. He hoped his dad knew that. He wanted to know Jonathan as long as he was supposed to and leave. If he was going to be human now, he wanted to know everything he could about them. He’d be the best human he could be and then maybe his dad would take him back. 

___________

 

“What’s a hard on?” Lucifer asked Jonathan as he followed the other man into a smaller room- a restroom he’d learned the previous day upon not understanding why his stomach felt a certain way and Jonathan had somehow deduced that he needed to pee.

Jonathan snorted. “You’re a man.”

“An angel.” Lucifer interrupted. 

“Yeah, well, you’re currently in a man…what do you even call it? Man form? Man shape? I don’t know but whatever it is, you currently resemble a man and as such you seem to be biologically working like a man which means that you’ve woken with…well, I suppose I should teach you the correct name first and then the slang. It’s an erection. You’ve woken with an erection.”

Lucifer looked down at himself, checking his chest, arms, legs, feeling his face. He didn’t see or feel anything out of the ordinary. “My vessel. It’s my vessel. Although not my permanent one but…” Lucifer trailed off, not wanting to get into the logistics of what his True Vessel compelled. Sam Winchester. A surprise if there’d ever been one. Soul almost as bright as the Righteous Man, Lucifer wasn’t sure if he’d ever understood how a soul that bright was supposed to be akin to his. Not that he had a soul but still Sam’s whatever was supposed to be similar to his whatever but it hadn’t. Sam had shone resplendently whereas Lucifer was fully aware of what he was, how dirty he was. Even without his dad’s help. 

“Hmm, I sense you’re not telling me the whole story. That’s ok, I suppose I’ll learn it as we go along. An erection is your penis, at attention. Please tell me you know what a penis is.” 

Lucifer looked down again, this time taking note of said penis. Jonathan was right. It bobbed along even as Lucifer walked. Lucifer knew what a penis was and what it was for, technically. He’d never used it nor did he know what to do with it and also…”When I was an angel it didn’t do this. Was it because I didn’t sleep, therefore didn’t wake up with one?” 

Jonathan stopped at the entrance of the restroom door. “And I’m supposed to know the answer to that how?” 

Lucifer felt heat crawl up his face, an interesting and startling feeling. He could feel his face burning. “Umm…”

“Fuck. I sure hope I don’t have to teach you how to jack off or I swear to your father I’m setting you up in front of some porn on my laptop. You can Google to your hearts content.”

Lucifer stared at him blankly. “You lost me.”

“Yeah, I can tell. Look, just go in and take a shower-“

“But-“ Lucifer started. 

Jonathan waved him off. “Ya know what? Fuck it. I’m getting in there with you and teaching you. But you better learn quickly because I’m never doing this again.”

Lucifer stood in the restroom as Jonathan walked out. Jonathan had told him to “wait” and then called for Luci. He could hear him in another room, telling her to watch tv or play with her toys but to not go outside for fifteen minutes whilst he showed Lucifer how to shower. Lucifer heard her giggle and say “okay unca” and “pinky promise” whatever the fuck that meant and then he heard Jonathan padding back his way. 

“Alright. Take off your clothes.”

Lucifer pulled off his clothes, watching intently as the other man also took off his clothes. He was wearing light gray pants that looked soft and a t shirt similar to the one that Lucifer had woken up in but without any sleeves. Lucifer copied him, taking off the blue pants Jonathan had given him the night before and his own t shirt. He wasn’t wearing anything else but Jonathan had a smaller pair of pants on underneath his pants on. 

“Why are you wearing two pairs of pants?”

“Two pairs…oh! These are boxers, not pants. They’re underwear. Not pants.”

Lucifer just nodded. He’d noticed Nick had some on when he’d first acquired him as had Sam the time he got to wear him, he just didn’t know what they were for. 

“Why?”

“Um, I’m not sure. Chafing, I guess. Or to hold your shit all in one place.”

“Is that why I have an erection? Because I’m not wearing underwear to hold my shit in one place?”

Jonathan laughed as he pulled off his “boxers”. “Nah, it’s just biology, man. Now you aren’t going to be weird about both of us getting in there together right? I might as well shower if I’m going to get wet teaching you.”

“Am I supposed to ‘be weird’?” Lucifer squinted at him, not understanding what Jonathan was talking about. 

“This is actually pretty interesting.” Jonathan said but it was mumbled, like he was really talking to himself. 

“What?” Lucifer asked him, mostly to remind him he was still there.

“It’s interesting that you don’t know to be weird about to men showering together. You’re like a child.” 

Lucifer bristled. “So you’ve said.”

“No, I don’t mean it in a bad way. I just mean that here I am, getting the opportunity to show a grown man how to not be a homophobe. I wonder what I did to deserve this opportunity. It’s amazing. If I thank your father will he be able to hear me?”

Lucifer raised his hands, palms up. “I’m not sure but I bet yes. He might be upset with me but hopefully that doesn’t mean he’s not keeping an eye on me.”

Jonathan bent over to fiddle with the tabs in the shower, putting his palm underneath the stream of water as it came out. He shivered before turning to speak to Lucifer again. 

“Well, lets hope that’s the case. Hey God, are you there? It’s me, Jonathan. Wow, I sounded like Judy Blume just then. Anyway, thank you for this opportunity, I hope I don’t let you down. Amen.”

“You think that was ok?” He asked, opening his eyes to look at Lucifer. 

“Yeah. He heard you, look.” Lucifer pointed towards the mirror, where printed within the steam filled glass the words “You’re welcome. You won’t.” Were slowly spelling themselves out. 

“Holy shit.” Jonathan whispered. 

“Are you ok? You look whiter than a minute ago.”

“Um, yeah. Just…wow. Ok. Nevermind.”

Lucifer just shrugged. OK then. Humans were weird. Demons he understood. Humans were crazy. 

He watched as Jonathan seemingly shook himself before turning back to Lucifer and pointing at the shower. 

“OK, so you watched what I just did, right? You turn on the water, one tab is for the cold water and one tab is for the hot water. You don’t want it too warm or too cold because either will be uncomfortable on your skin. You want it warm.”

“Why isn’t there a warm tab?”

Jonathan laughed again. “It’s either because humanity isn’t there yet or because people have different definitions of what warm means to them. Some people like colder or hotter showers than other people. Having a tab for each one allows you to set it to your preference. Before you get in, you test it with your palm, to make sure it’s to your liking but also to make sure it’s not too hot. Too cold water won’t hurt you besides feeling really fucking cold, but if it’s too hot it can burn you. My brother, Luke, once had a stomach ache and he went into his bathroom to draw himself a bath he could sit in for a while but he only got as far as turning on the hot water when he passed out underneath the water. It was so hot he burned over half his back and face. The doctors had to do skin grafts. That’s why testing it is important. Anyway, here, test it.”

Lucifer stepped up to the water and stuck his palm out. “It feels good.” 

“Good. Go ahead and step in with me. I’m going to help you ok, because you’ve never stood on a wet floor and I don’t want you to slip. You don’t have your sea legs yet.”

Lucifer wasn’t sure what he meant by that but was quickly learning that there was much he didn’t understand. He wondered why his dad had left him so ignorant but there wasn’t much he could do about it so he took the hand that Jonathan offered him and stepped in.

 

__________________

 

Something Gabriel thoroughly enjoyed about Charlotte, despite this being only the second day of knowing her, was that she didn’t do anything by halves. She said they’d be going out to enjoy their Sunday “fun day” and boy were they ever. Charlotte and he had bathed and then left the house, him in black skinnies that had Char grabbing “a piece of that ass” because according to her it looked _that_ good, paired with a dark jean denim button down (sleeves rolled up and his fancy gold watch), white chucks and a light gray jacket over it. It was sorta misting outside and Gabriel was glad his jacket had a hoodie. He looked fly. 

Char was also wearing black ripped jeans (although hers appeared to have been painted on) with a black lace lingerie looking satin shirt, a hugely oversized gray sweater over it, and her black leather jacket topping off the whole thing. She wore black motorcycle boots with buckles on the side, _his_ necklace (that is to say, her Gabriel necklace) and her plethora of rings and piercings put on and in and her hair was in a messy bun that somehow still left her looking absolutely gorgeous. 

“If I were straight…” 

She laughed. “Yeah, yeah. Come on, Romeo.”

She let him drive this time, citing the need for him to learn how to get around on his own. He’d protested, reminding her that she’d wanted to ride her bike but she waved him off and said this was more important. “We don’t even know if you know how to drive, so come on, get in and lets find out.”

Turned out, he did know. Whether it was placed there by his dad or if he’d picked it up just from having watched her the previous night, they didn’t know but regardless, he made their way to Black Rooster Cafe, located in downtown…and then had to promptly get off because he didn’t know how to parallel park. She laughed at him when he scowled at her. “Come on, Grumpy. Lose the face.”

 

He smiled at her then but watched carefully from the sidewalk as she parked. He was pretty sure he’d gotten it.

 

Together they’d walked arm in arm down the street as she pointed different things out to him.

 

“This AMC has my favorite chairs. They lean all the way back and you can bring a blanket and whatnot and be completely relaxed. OH! And you can even lift up the bar in the middle and cuddle up together.”

 

She was less than impressed when Gabriel confessed he didn’t remember ever having watched a movie.

 

“I thought you were supposed to be the Archangel of Judgement.”

 

“I am.”

“Well, how can you adequately do your job when you don’t experience everything humans do. You know, back in the old days, and ok, even now, some people believe that it’s violent movies and video games that influence people to do the same in real life. Other people, like in psychology believe that how a human behaves is impacted by how they were nurtured or what their inane nature is. Either way, if anyone could figure out what the answer really is, it would be you, BUT you can’t do that without studying everyone.”

 

“But I could see people’s souls. I knew who was good and who was bad.”

 

“Right. I get that. But you saw them as they had been shaped. You would have made more of an impact on children or adults if you understood the _why_ and then found a way to change that. That would have given them a real chance.”

 

“Well, I didn’t have to kill everyone. Some people got scared enough after my lessons that they, for lack of a better phrase, didn’t do it again.”

 

“Hmm. Are you familiar with the Bible?”

 

Gabriel laughed. “Of course.”

 

“Well, it’s sorta like that. The Bible says to fear God but the way that I understood it was that we were to fear him, as in respect him, not behave because we were actually afraid of him. There’s a difference, ya know?”

 

Gabriel quieted before speaking again. “You’re smart for a human.”

 

“Eh.” She waved him off before pulling him along a crosswalk where the seconds were ticking down before they needed to be off the street.

 

“Ya know, I haven’t been to a movie theatre but I did go watch Shakespeare once.”

 

She peered at him, pulling her sunglasses off her eyes and down her nose to look at him properly. _“The_ Shakespeare?” Gabriel nodded. “Yup. I went and watched Hamlet. I was standing there, eating grapes when he muttered that it would take a miracle for that play to make it. So I made it happen.” Gabriel winked at her and she laughed.

 

“I fucking love you. That’s so bloody awesome. See, that’s something right there that Sam would get a huge kick out of knowing.”

 

“Hmm.” Was the only thing Gabriel said, filing the information away for later even as he internally tried to figure out _why._

 

Char took pity on him, changing the subject.

 

“Look, Loki.” She pointed up on a building where an angel with a horn that stuck out over the street was. “It’s you.”

 

“Is this a church?”

 

“Nope. It’s the Bass Hall. They do live performances. I come every year around Christmas to watch the Nutcracker. I used to come with Levi but now I’ll come with you!” She said enthusiastically.

 

Gabriel grinned. He’d had two families and neither of them had ever made future plans with him. They mostly tolerated his presence whilst there and didn’t stick around longer than they had to. If Gabriel had been made of stronger stuff he’d had pointed this out to himself a long time ago. As it was he was embarrassingly pathetic and preferred to live with his head in the sand. Deny, deny, deny. Turns out it’s not just a river in the Nile.

 

As though sensing his mood shift, Char turned back to him. “You know I love you, right?”

 

He nodded at her, somewhat numbly, walking along the sidewalk, allegedly following her but stopping when he felt his jacket tug. She’d stopped several paces back. “What, Char?” He asked somewhat warily, feeling uncharacteristically insecure.

 

“You know what’s so interesting? In a perverse sort of way? It’s not like I’m getting a kick out of it, I swear to your dad I’m not, just looking at the parallel’s here.”

 

“What, Char?” Gabriel asked again, narrowing his eyes at her a bit.

 

“You see those over there?” She asked, pointing at a set of two tall twin buildings. Gabriel nodded.

 

“Those are called the Twin Towers of Fort Worth. Are you familiar with the incidents of 9/11?”

 

Gabriel stared at her a bit blankly. “Um, no? What year? Or are u telling me the year?”

 

Char huffed out a laugh before shaking her head. “Incredible that something that’s meant so much to us is not even on your radar. Remind me to take you to New York. But that’s neither here nor there. A quick recap: On September 11th, 2001, airplanes hit the Twin Towers in New York killing a ton of people and making other choose essentially between suicide and waiting on a certain death to reach them. It was a terrorist attack, people from a certain faith that hate America and the freedom she stands for. I was in tenth grade when it happened and remember watching it on TV. It was…” Char trails off, a choking sound in her throat.

 

She cleared it and then waved her hand, dissipating the memory. “Anyways, after that, some cities…either in memory or in, I don’t know, rebellion, created their own smaller versions of the Twin Towers. Almost as though to say, ‘try it again, motherfuckers, you may hurt us but you’ll never break us.’ The American spirit, man…” Char trails off again before giving herself a quick shake and coming back to him.

 

“What I’m trying to get at is that look at those buildings. I see them and they look so tall but next to you, your True Form, they look so tiny, so minute, mundane, inconsequential. They don’t even reach your ‘knees’. So why does it feel like you feel so small, Archangel Gabriel?”

 

Gabriel swallowed the lump in his throat. “Because you have no idea, Char. You have no idea how little of an effect I’ve had on anything this world has ever gone through. I don’t have an impact, have never made an impact on anything. I’m completely useless and even when I try to do the right thing, sometimes I end up righting things that should have stayed wrong. Did you know that Hitler was drowning when he was 7? I happen to be passing by and stopped to help him. He was supposed to die, Char. And I didn’t even know that! And you know why? It wasn’t because the information wasn’t available, it’s because I didn’t want to know! I was so anti destiny, so anti whatever you want to call it, that I rebelled every which way I could and I’m responsible for the deaths of over six millions Jews and that’s not even counting everyone else that was killed just for being different- homosexuals, gypsies, what have you!”

 

Gabriel stops his rant. He can feel his breathing coming out in short hot bursts, his face feels red, he feels the shame straight down to his core. He’s **_NEVER_** told anyone about how his actions played directly into savings the world’s most prolific serial killer. Tears prickle in the corner of his eyes. He knows Char is going to clean her hands of him now. Who the fuck would stick around after that? He clenches his eyes shut tightly like that will protect his ears, natch, his _heart_ from her words once she lets him have it.

 

The words never come.

 

Experimentally and not without trepidation he slowly opens one eye and peers at her. She’s looking at him, a small gentle smile gracing her face. “You about done?” She smirks at him, but it’s not the cruel mocking smirk he’d have expected her to have. Instead it’s a loving “Chuck-you’re-an-idiot-but-I-love-you” kind of smirk. He nods at her but looks down again. She lifts his chin to meet his eyes.

 

“It sounds like you learned a very valuable lesson.”

 

“Char-“

 

“Listen. You can’t give yourself credit one way but not the other. You can’t, in the same breath, claim to have made zero impact on humanity and at the same time take credit for Hitler. There’s a lesson to be had here, Sweets.”

 

“What’s that?” So sue him, he was curious. Lucifer had told him that was his downfall. He didn’t want to smite humans, he wanted to _live_ with them.

 

“You learned that a single grain of rice can tip the scale. You’re the grain of rice.”

 

Gabriel blanched. “I don’t want to be _that_ grain of rice.”

 

Char looked at him seriously. “Sweets, have you ever read the Bible? I know you’re familiar with it but everyone knows about the Bible, it doesn’t mean they’ve read it. Have you read it?”

 

Gabriel grimaced. “Yeah, I mean I’ve skimmed it. It’s like Earth’s greatest hits in there and the passages of me remind me of looking through an old high school yearbook. They’re pretty cringey.”

 

Char laughs quietly. “You were kinda all high and mighty with Zachariah.”

 

Gabriel also laughs. “His name pissed me off, even then I had issues with my brother, Zach. He’s a colossal douchebag. I wonder how he’s doing…Anyway, why do you ask?”

 

She’s frowning at him and opens her mouth only to shut it then open it again. “Man, you really need to read those books. I’ll tell you about him later. For now, what I’m trying to get at is something that’s extremely controversial. In my eyes, anyway. Remember how I told you that my mom’s religion was outright ridiculous? Well,” she continues, without waiting on him to respond, “they, um, they, ummm,” Char’s face grows red and she whispers, “Please don’t smite me for this.”

 

“What, Char?”

 

“HerreligionbelievestheJewshaditcoming.”

 

She speaks so rapidly it takes Gabriel a moment to parse through her statement and when it hits him he’s so horrified and taken aback he actually takes a step back.

 

“WHAT?!”

 

“Not me, Gabriel! Not me, I swear!”

 

“Char, please explain this to me. What the actual fuck?” Gabriel asks, still shell shocked and aghast at this untimely turn of events.

 

Char lifts her hands up in an attempt to placate him.

 

“There’s this story in the Old Testament and I can attempt to Google more concise information for you but from what I remember, when the Israelites started worshipping pagan Gods instead of the one True God, they were supposedly cursed and it was supposed to be something like four or seven generations or something. My mom’s religion believe that by the time the Jews died via Hitler it must have been the generation where their time was up.”

 

Gabriel stared at Charlotte for a minute before scoffing. “I knew people misinterpreted the Bible to epic proportions but this is truly fucked. Tell me, Char. Why don’t you believe this theory?”

 

Char stands looking up at his True Form before looking back down at him and then her SmartWatch.

 

“You know what? I need a fucking drink for this. I wanted to take you to get a proper breakfast but we’ll get breakfast after the club tonight. For now, lets go to Flying Saucer. We can sit outside and they have beers from all around the world. I need a nice German Chocolate Stout that’s infused with coffee and we can talk about this shit.”

 

Gabriel can’t resist although he knows it’s a poor joke. “German, huh?”

 

Char looks down her nose at him. “I’m not laughing at that. That’s just distasteful. Come on, follow me.”

 

She leads him down a street he sees is called Commerce and points out The Silver Leaf Cigar Lounge. “I’ve always wanted to go there.”

 

“Why haven’t you been?”

 

“Ehhh, cos I’m Mexican and there’s nothing in there but preppy White people. I don’t know how they’d like me intruding.”

 

Gabriel has noticed that when Char talks about something that leaves her feeling less-than her vernacular takes on an accent of, he’s not sure how to explain it other than she infuses her speech with more slang, slightly more ghetto, as impolite as that sounds.

 

“What’s makes you say that?”

 

“Well, I guess it’s probably my nerves getting the best of me but I don’t know anything about the place, I wouldn’t know what to order, how to order- I want to go in to smoke cigarettes in peace but not cigars and I don’t want to bother people who don’t like cigarette smell with mine while they’re smoking their fancy cigars.”

 

“You don’t like cigars?”

“It’s not that I don’t like them,” Char says, opening a door he hadn’t even seen to a brick building that upon closer inspection do, indeed, read Flying Saucer on it, “I actually quite enjoy the way they smell, it’s just that smoking cigars is notoriously bad for you. One cigar is equivalent to smoking twenty cigarettes at once. I don’t want to do that to myself. But at the same time I feel like cigarettes are considered more low brow than cigars and I can’t be Mexican _and_ low brow at a fucking cigar _lounge.”_

 

Char holds up two fingers to the hostess who nods at them before picking up two different types of menus for them before beckoning them to follow her, leading them to a table.

 

“We’d prefer the patio, please.”

 

“Sure, no problem.” “Erica” responds, her pony tail swinging behind her as she turns and leads them outside. She’s wearing a black tee shirt and blue jean shorts that show off her _ass-_ ets quite nicely. Gabriel catches Char staring at nudges her. She smirks at him unapologetically. He shakes his head at her. “And here I thought only men were dogs.” He tells her under his breath.

 

“Bite me.” She tells him in one breath, “thanks, darlin’” directed at the blonde who blushes in the other, her Texas twang coming through, loud, clear, and deliberately accentuated.

 

“You don’t even talk like that normally.” Gabriel tells her accusingly, after the waitress has stuttered through the days food and drink specials while Char’s eyes had raked over her lasciviously. She shrugs at him. “I can sound like a good ol’ girl when I want to.”

 

“I swear if it was me doing that, I’d probably have gotten slapped. Must be nice to be a girl.”

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Char slightly stiffen and he looks up. She smiles tightly at him.

 

“What?”

 

“Eh, it’s not a big thing but I’m more gender-fluid.”

 

“How’s that?” Gabriel asks, curiously.

 

“Ya know what? We’ll come back to that conversation. Let’s look at our menus and order because I seriously do need that drink.”

 

The next couple minutes are quiet while Gabriel and Charlotte look over the extensive beer and lager list that the draught emporium has to offer, Charlotte settling on the Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout while Gabriel settles on Petrus Passion Fruit, an ale that hails from Belgium and boasts the flavors of sweet with accompanying sour.

 

For food, Charlotte orders a prosciutto and arugula pie while Gabriel goes with something called the Saucer Bratzel- a toasted pretzel with melted Swiss cheese, sliced beer bratwurst and green onions served with spicy mustard. It sounds delicious and it’s right up Gabriel’s eat-more-weird alley. He’s always loved trying new things and although he’s had all these things separately he’s not had the occasion to have them together and can’t wait to try them.

 

As he hands to menu back to the server, after placing his order, he looks across at Char, who’s sitting a little hunched over, fiddling with her earring, looking around but looking pensive all the same.

 

She catches him looking.

 

“How long has your dad been gone?”

 

Gabriel hesitates. He can sense something on the precipice of Char’s soul and he doesn’t want to be the one to send her tumbling. Of course he fails to account for her empath gift and gets a stink eye from her for even daring to lie.

 

He coughs lightly. “Sorry, I forgot.”

 

“Mmhmm. Comes in handy, doesn’t it? Come on, no lying.”

 

“Since before I left.”

 

“And how long have you been gone?”

 

“Around six thousand years.”

 

Char sighs.

 

“See, that just doesn’t even make sense. I’m not calling you a liar of course, I’m just saying the timetables don’t add up.”

 

She looks so disquieted and perturb that Gabriel can’t help but want to try to fix it for her, do something to make her understand. It doesn’t go unnoticed by him that he hasn’t felt the desire to _fix_ anything in a long time, not counting that small lapse of momentary insanity when he chose to die for the Idiot-chesters. And in hindsight, he didn’t actually fix shit.

 

Anyway.

 

“Talk to me, Char.”

 

The beers arrive then, startling Gabriel while Char stays composed in the face of surprise as she always does. She arches a brow at him and he tries not to blush.

 

She takes a sip of her beer. A big sip.

 

“Where do I even begin? Ok, let me see if I can explain. I used to be a big believer. I believed in the same God that my parents believed in with a few exceptions to their beliefs, the Jews of course being one of them. Actually, looking back, there wasn’t a whole lot that I did agree with except for one thing: faith. I had oodles of faith. I used to love reading the Bible just to be that much closer to The Word of God. Reading _His_ passages, those notated in red…it was like knowing someone famous by a sixth degree.” At his confused face, she goes on to explain- “You know, famous by association. I know someone whose friend’s uncle’s dad starred in so and so. With the Written Word (Gabriel could _feel_ the capitalization), even though it’s so old, just knowing that your dad had said the words, it was all I needed.”

 

Char stops to take another sip before seeing that she’s almost finished it and calls out to their server for another.

 

“I used to have lots of favorite verses. Verses that got me through different times in my life but more than that, verses that allowed me to worship without asking for a thing. Verses to just give thanks. I was in the habit, something I forcefully broke, of praising in the morning and at night. I would wake upand my first though would automatically be ‘thank you, Lord for another day’. I was Psalms 92:1 incarnate.”

 

She looks at him to see if he recognizes it and although Psalms used to be a book he’d enjoyed flipping through he doesn’t recognize that specific verse so she elaborates.

 

“Psalms 92:1- ‘It is good to praise the Lord…proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.’ It was something I did, Sweets. Something where instead of going out on a Friday night I would stay in and over the hours that went by I shared with God the wonderful parts of my day, instead of my trials and tribulations. And you know what? It was _fun._ When my time was up, when I was done, I would say a prayer, I would ask for something, but you know what it would be, ArchHerald? I would say, Lord, when I get caught up in the complexities of life, remind me to recount Your great deeds.”

 

Char stops talking suddenly and her breath sounds ragged. The “archherald” didn’t pass Gabriel by and he understands that in the moment, she was acknowledging his prestige, his honor. It’s been a long time since Gabriel wanted to title, even longer since he’s _felt_ the title but here he is, feeling power thrumming through him, an interesting feat considering he doesn’t actually have any power. He was placed in time out by his dad. That startles a maddening giggle out of him and Char looks at him.

 

“I swear any moment now they’ll be coming to take me away.” He mutters. She nods and looks away, understanding him completely in that unsettling way of hers.

 

As suddenly as Char stopped, she starts up again. “But now you’re telling me he’s not been there for the whole thing. I’ve never believed the Jew thing because logically it doesn’t make sense. If from my dad to me,are considered two different generations, then however many generations the Israelites were cursed, we’ve long since passed them. Also, supposedly when Jesus came to die so that the Gentiles could be saved, the veil tore and all the ‘laws’ of old, of the God that was vengeful, that took his due back in the coldest of ways, of the God that cursed, of the God of old, if all of this was broken when the veil tore as his spirit ascended to heaven then this particular curse would have broken too. We are living in the mercy era. In the New Testament. It doesn’t add up. And now, of course, you’re telling me he wasn’t around for any of it. So, naturally that begs the question: who told Noah to build the ark? Who told Moses the Ten Commandments? Who spoke to the prophets? When Jesus prayed on the Mountain of Gethsemane who was he praying to? Gabriel, if you are the Messenger of God and he was gone, WHO sent you to speak to Mary? To Joseph? Who sent you to speak to Zachariah? Gabriel, who was I praying to?”

 

For a moment Gabriel wonders if he didn’t go too far. Human brains aren’t meant to understand everything of course, they aren’t omnipotent like angel (even cupids and cherubs, the smallest of the angels) brains can be conceived to be. It’s likely he’s broken Char and he sips the last dredges of his ale before looking her way.

 

But she’s sitting there, already composed again. No longer breathing heavily as she had been just a moment ago. Again, Gabriel has forgotten that as an empath even though she can’t read his mind, she can read his emotions. She probably got the gist of his regret and desire to run.

 

“Do you know that the concept of gravity can be broken down to a different million steps that to the layman won’t make a lick of sense?”

 

“Mmhmm.” Gabriel agrees not sure where this is headed.

 

“But since most people won’t understand it, they summed it up as ‘that which goes up must come down’. And that was satisfactory enough for most people. I don’t need to understand the intricacies of it, archangel. I just want the summary.”

 

Her deference is not something he wants. He suddenly wishes they could go back to her being an insolent little shit and him being Loki. He doesn’t deserve anything else.

 

He’s still formulating his thoughts when the server comes by again, a lanky ginger male behind her.

 

“Hey guys, no rush but I’m about to leave and Gam here is going to take over for me so I’m going to close out your tab and then he’ll start a new one.”

 

“Sure, that’s cool.” Char responds handing her card to Erica who takes it walks away, leaving “Gam” with them.

 

“Is that your whole name?” Gabriel asks, suddenly.

 

Gam shakes his head.

 

“Let me guess, yeah?”

 

Gam laughs, “Sure, give it a shot. No one has ever gotten it right.”

 

It doesn’t take Gabriel long, it’s already on the tip of his tongue anyway.

 

“Gamaliel.”

 

Gam’s mouth drops open.

 

“Dude. How’d you know that? No one’s ever known that.”

 

“Heh.” Gabriel runs his hand through his hair.

 

“I had-have a brother with that same name.”

 

“Oh wow. That’s amazing. I’ve never known anyone else with that name either. Hey! First round on me for being cool, yeah?”

 

Char’s on board if the twinkle in her eye is anything to go by and she speaks up for the first time since their exchange started.

 

“Thank you! That’d be awesome. Bring my brother, here, something fruity, please. He loves pineapple. I know y’all used to have a beer that included pineapple in it, but I couldn’t find it. Do you happen to know which one it is?”

 

Char orders for them and when Gam leaves, Gabriel looks at her. “How’d you know I liked pineapple?”

 

“Fruit that eats you back as you eat it? Seems right up your alley, Trickster. I’m surprised you aren’t behind the creation of that one.”

 

Gabriel laughs out loud, delighted by how Char seems to have known he wanted her irreverence.

 

“Actually,” he answers, cheekily, “I think that one was all Lucifer. He was in charge of fruits after all.”

 

“Figures. No one wonder we ended up with prickly cacti, nuts people can die from, grapes many people can’t handle the skin on, nasty tasting kale, etc.”

 

Gabriel laughs again. “I’m pretty sure you’re the only one to have ever made that connection, Char.”

 

“Don’t give me any credit, that’s only because I know he’s the one that made them. If more people knew, trust me, they’d arrive at the same conclusion. It’s not a difficult assumption. What were you in charge of, anyway?”

 

“Eh, Dad didn’t really like me messing with his stuff because I wasn’t as careful with it as the others. So I mostly got scraps. I made the platypus.” He grins broadly at her.

 

“The- the fucking platypus?” Char’s laughter rings loud and true through the patio where they’re sitting.

 

“That’s so bloody awesome. What else?”

 

“Well, I mean they don’t exist anymore but I’d created the dodo and the tetrapodophis.”

 

Char nods, sagely. “It all makes sense now. You created the weirdest of all the animals. I mean seriously, legs on a fucking snake? Because they aren’t sufficiently sinister?”

 

Gabriel eyes her carefully. “You don’t like snakes?”

 

Char smiles at him, “Actually, I love snakes. I’ve wanted one for a long time.”

 

Gabriel nods at her. “I thought that statement sounded weird coming from you.”

 

Gam arrives with the beer and food then and Gabriel looks at Charlotte, surprised.

 

“I’d seriously forgotten all about our food already.”

 

“Ha. Yeah, they take a while on the food here but it really is good and worth the wait.” She assures him.

 

He looks over his food and believes her. The smells wafting up at him are enticing and everything seems appropriately hot and delicious. His stomach grumbles and once again he startles.

 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” He confides.

 

“Personally I don’t think you’ll need to learn to.”

 

“Really?” Gabriel had a piece of mouth watering pretzel en route to his mouth but her statement is out of left field and couldn’t help but stop and listen. She waves his hand on.

 

“I don’t know, just seems like your dad is trying to teach you something and I’m confident in your learning abilities. I think that some, if not all, of your powers will be coming back sooner than you think.”

 

“I guess we’ll find out.” Is the only thing Gabriel can think to say.

 

They eat quietly for few minutes, Gabriel leaning over to steal a slice of Char’s pizza. He’s not sure why she doesn’t just request for the prosciutto to be left off, she doesn’t even eat it, opting instead to push it to the side where he promptly scoops it up and adds it to his slice.

 

“It’s because of the flavor it leaves behind. I like the flavor, just not enough to bite into the source.” She explains. She lets him know she’s the same way regarding onion, bell peppers, tomato and basically anything that gets chopped up and added to meals. Ingredients that Gabriel is _very_ accustomed to using and having the people he serves his food to, enjoy. He tells her as such and she rolls her eyes at him.

 

“I’ll enjoy it. I’d just enjoy it more if I didn’t have to fucking pick every little thing out.”

 

“It gives it _flavor.”_ Gabriel insists.

 

“Yes, mother.” Char says, laughing. “My mom used to say the exact same thing. I always had the urge to tell her where to stick her flavor. How lucky am I to now have someone I _can_ say that to?”

 

“I swear to dad, Char.”

 

Charlotte laughs at him and Gabriel feels something inside of him loosen. It gives him the courage to speak.

 

“Char-“ He begins. She puts her hand up.

 

“I trust you, you know. If you say that it’s something I’m incapable of understanding because of my humanity, you needn’t even try to explain. If you say it can’t be done, shouldn’t be done even, I’ll believe you.”

 

Her implicit trust in him to not deceive her, to be an accurate _judge_ of what she can and cannot or should not know is reveling to him. Angels, as deliverers of _His_ word were also supposed to have followers, and here he is. Billions of millennia old and he has finally acquired a follower. If that’s not humbling he doesn’t know what is.

 

“I believe before he left, my father left…I don’t know, duplicates, for lack of a better descriptor, of himself so that these things, these antecedents that you spoke of, could be true. Meaning that he had every notion that he’d leave. It was premeditated. What I don’t know with certainty is whether, like me, he turned off the part of himself that could still hear everything so I don’t know, Char. I don’t know whether he heard your talks with him, I don’t know if he hears prayers, I don’t, I mean I didn’t even know about 9/11, I’d long since tuned out the world by then, all I focused on was teaching people here lessons and to be honest, I stuck, for the most part, to the U.S. Of course before it came into existence, I was on the other side of the pond but even more than that I often spent my time in other realms, in other words, Asgard, for example.”

 

Char says nothing, spurring him to go on. “I’m sorry, Char. I’m sorry that it’s possible that so much that you knew was for nothing, for naught. I’m sorry that you hid so much of yourself because of people’s interpretation of my Father’s word. I’m sorry we weren’t there.” He ends in a rush, tears prickling his eyes once again. He’s stunned to discover that where in the past he’d not given one iota whether people forgave him the few times he’d actually uttered an “I’m sorry”, with Char not only did he mean it but he was actively yearning for his forgiveness.

 

“Forgive me, Charlotte. For I knew not what I did.” He says solemnly, knowing she’ll recognize the meaning.

 

She turns startled eyes his way. She understood, because of course she did.

 

“I am not worthy of such honor, archangel.”

 

“Is that not for me to judge?” He asks, softly.

 

She meets his eyes then, and he can see tears in her eyes too. And then she laughs and swipes at them.

 

“Gosh, we’re so ridiculous. Come, Arch-herald. Let us not speak of this any longer. We are best friends and as such, of course I forgive you. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and all that.”

 

Gabriel laughs with her. She slips into reverence and irreverence so easily it delights him. It reminds him of him and silently he thanks his dad once again for pairing him up with someone like Charlotte. He is truly not worthy of that kind of love. It’s long been since he did anything of worth but as much as he likes playing human, he can’t deny that the arch-herald, as she says it, part of him is rejoicing. He feels like a Messenger once again.

 

A few moments later, they’ve finished their food and upon paying, he follows Charlotte out the exit and walking back the way from whence they came, they are once again at the “Bass Hall” and Gabriel is looking at their interpretation of him once again.

 

“You know something that your moms religion also failed to take into account, Char?”

 

“Instruct me.” She says, again with unwarranted reverence.

 

“That although my dad could be vengeful and retributive He was also a thousand times more merciful. That for every thing he put them through their payment for seeking forgiveness, for completing that which he instructed them to do to seek such a thing, he more than payed them back for it.”

 

“Deuteronomy.” She says, mostly to herself.

 

It’s one he’s read.

 

“Yes.” He agrees.

 

She takes her hand in his and turns to face him, her other hand coming up to touch his face.

 

“I will praise your name. Forever and ever.”

 

It’s a benediction Gabriel feels not just in his pseudo-soul but to his much more real grace. He lets the feeling wash over him, feeling for the first time since he woke up, his True Form.

 

Right there where he stands, the Archangel Gabriel, bows his head and tells his Almighty Father the same.

 

It’s a Psalm he knows well and the words come easily.

 

“I will exalt You, my God and King; I will praise your name. Forever and ever. Amen.”

 

When he looks back up, he hears Chars sharp intake of breath and sees her step back with one of his thousand eyes while his mortal ones glow brightly.

 

His wings are back.

 

__________________

 

It’s the end of the day and upon returning from the playground, where they let Lucinda play on something called a “swing” and “jungle gym bars”, the library, where they found books and Lucifer had “checked out” several books regarding religion and more importantly, angels (Lucifer forever curious as to how humanity viewed him), the Target superstore, where Jonathan had patiently explained everything Lucifer would need (“deodorant so that you don’t smell”, “body wash so that you don’t smell”, “shampoo so your hair doesn’t smell”, “lotion so that- yeah yeah, I got it, Lucifer had exclaimed feeling somewhat embarrassed at being told so much that he was apparently quite smelly), and various restaurants where they’d stopped to either eat or to “grab a drink” such as something called a “PSL” from a place called “Starbucks”, they’d finally gotten back to the house and Jonathan had put a sleepy Lucinda and dog to bed then came to find Lucifer to instruct him to shower again.

 

“Again?”

 

“Yes, because now you’ll have all the proper things you need to not-“

 

“Again, I caught it the first hundred times- so that I don’t smell.”

 

“Now you’re getting it.” Jonathan smirked at him, from the entrance of the “guest room” he’d situated Lucifer in.

 

“I trust you learned how to do everything properly the first go around?”

 

Lucifer nodded at him. Yes, he’d learned how to do everything. Jonathan had been most helpful in teaching him how to scrub everything from the top of his head to between his toes. He’d been squeaky clean by the time they’d emerged although his mind had still been reeling from Jonathan having taught him how to handle his erection going forward. He hadn’t had one by the time he’d gotten the shower, the lesson on how to turn on the shower tabs having served as a way for it to relax and go “flaccid”. Still, Jonathan had assured him it would be back and during the lesson on how to clean his “penis or dick, which ever you prefer, Lucifer”, Jonathan had pointed to a bottle of “Astroglide” and told him the next time he was in the shower and got an erection to take some and gently glide it over and over until he orgasmed. Jonathan didn’t know how to describe it just said Lucifer would know it when he felt it and that when he did, he needed only to let go and the most amazing feeling would come over him. And he also told him to make sure he didn’t get “cum” on any of his “shit” or there would be “hell to pay.” Lucifer wanted nothing more to do with hell so he quite fervently assured Jonathan he’d be careful.

 

“…need a new name for you.”

 

Jonathan’s voice took Lucifer out of his musings.

 

“What do you mean, a new name? What’s wrong with my name?”

“Besides its implications? I mean, it’s the name of the devil. Most people won’t like it.”

 

Lucifer tried not to visibly bristle but judging by the ill concealed eye roll Jonathan responded with, he’d epically failed.

 

“Nothing against your name man, but just trust me on this one. People will respond better if you go by a different name.”

 

“Fine. What do you suggest?”

 

“Well, I’d say Luke but that’s my little brother’s name and you’re not allowed to have it. He’s not a dick and I haven’t decided whether you are or not. How about Luc? We can tell people it’s short for Lucian or something.”

 

Lucifer shrugged. He didn’t particularly care. He liked his name, his dad gave it to him. Why should he care about what stupid little humans thought?

 

Jonathan cleared his throat and Lucifer stopped from where he was putting his new phone to “charge” (they’d picked it up at Target, Lucifer was most pleased with it).

 

“Your aura is turning red. Why are you upset?”

 

Lucifer ignored the comment about his aura. He knew that Jonathan had to be different if his dad had placed him there. Instead, he answered the question.

 

“Because my dad gave me that name. You’re asking me to change my Dad given name. It’s an insult.”

 

Jonathan sighed. “Yeah, I understand. But you have to understand that here, on Earth, in reality? No one in their right mind would name their kid Lucifer. Here, although it may or may not be true, it stands for evil. You’ll probably get asked if your parents hated you.”

 

“I don’t have parents.”

 

“Another thing you can’t really explain, can you?”

 

Lucifer looked at him, coldly.

 

“And I care, because?”

 

Jonathan eyed him carefully.

 

“Because as long as you’re here, and I don’t mean just my home, I mean Earth. As long as you’re on this planet, this realm, this _moment in time,_ you will be human.”

 

Lucifer sat, sullenly, on the edge of his bed. He still didn’t know why his father had done this to him but Jonathan’s words, as much as he didn’t want them to, they rang true.

 

“Fine.” He finally acquiesced, biting his lip.

 

“and don’t bite your lip.”

 

“Why?” Lucifer asked, arching a brow. What faux pas was he committing now?

Jonathan smirked.

 

“I’ll explain when you’ll understand.”

 

Something inside Lucifer’s stomach flipped.

 

______________

 

The rest of the day passes by somewhat uneventfully. He’d come back into himself to hear Char lying to a wide eyed couple who caught the end of his eye light show.

 

“Cool contacts, huh?”

 

After they’d nodded, somewhat disbelievingly but unsure as to how to call them out on it, they’d step around them, giving them wide berth and Gabriel and Charlotte watched them walk away with more pep in their step as they hurried to put leave them behind.

 

They’d looked at each other and laughed.

 

Gabriel was somewhat anxious to try them out, find out if they worked and Char seemed to realize that because after walking a couple blocks she’d led them into a Starbucks in “Sundance Square” and coffee in hand (just for her) he’d then followed her into a brightly lit alcove that was between two rows of buildings. She’d sat on some steps, uncapped her coffee, blew on it then glanced back up at him.

 

“You’re still here? Go! Try them out, I know you’re dying to.”

 

He’d disappeared that same instant, stretching his wings out as far as they could go, secretly enjoying how Char’s eyes had opened impossibly wide as she marveled at the being before her.

 

Taking off, for the first time, maybe ever, Gabriel gave thanks for who and what he was. He was an angel. An archangel. An Arch-Herald. He was his fathers Messenger. He had wings! He knew everything about earth and it’s formation- its creations, he knew-

 

He could still not get in anywhere. He could fly but not into any bubble realms, he was limited to earth, couldn’t even get into the fairy realm, not heaven and not hell. He couldn’t access any of him homes and couldn’t go to Asgard but as he flew high above Italy and then New Zealand, the Ice Caps, and just for kicks flew by the Aurora Lights in Alaska, he couldn’t deny he’d never felt lighter.

 

With a huge flap of his wings he came to stand in front of Charlotte once again.

 

“Wanna see if you can fly with me?”

 

Gabriel laughed robustly when finally- _finally_ Charlotte jumped, startled at his reappearance.

 

“Jerk.” She muttered, picking up her cup off the ground where she’d dropped it.

 

“You made me spill my bloody coffee.”

 

“Well, you should have been expecting my return.”

 

She grinned at him.

 

“I only get startled once at any turn of events. Now I’ll recognize the flap of your wings before you ever even arrive.”

 

“Good. I’d hate for us to be fighting demons when they get the upper hand just because you didn’t know I was coming.”

 

“Demons, huh? Now you’re ready to fight?”

 

Gabriel hesitated. “I can tell I’m not back up to full par. I don’t have any of powers, I can’t smite at a glance but this is more than where I was. I’m still strong and now if need be, I can fly us out of any unwarranted situation. Unless there’s a witch involved that somehow grounds me. As an angel, I can break through most spells but there are a couple out there that can trap me.” He finished wryly, thinking of Dean Winchester and the bloody angel trap.

 

“Hmm. Maybe yes, maybe no.”

 

“Explain, human.” He said, making Char laugh at his name for her.

 

“Well…it sounds like you’re technically still just a human. If you can’t do everything you normally can, lets see here then. You’ve have the strength of an angel, you still understand all languages, you can fly, a couple of other things, but you don’t feel angelic, meaning you’re not feeling your grace, are you technically an angel? It sounds like you’re simply just like a superman right now. But hey!” She exclaimed, seeing the downtrodden look on his face. “That just means that you’ll be able to get out of any trap.

 

“That’s true.” Gabriel said slowly brightening. “I may have more perks this way.”

 

“I wonder if there’s any way we can test out that theory.”

 

Gabriel snorted. “Yeah, all we need is holy oil.”

 

“Is that anything like regular oil with the hell boiled out of it?”

 

Gabriel couldn’t help but laugh again.

 

“No, you goof. It’s oil that’s been blessed by the almost highest of all places.”

 

“Ah, you’re talking about Jerusalem, huh?”

 

“Yup.” Gabriel nodded proudly at her intelligence.

 

“Well,” Charlotte said, standing up and raising her arms high above her head to stretch out and craning her neck from side to side, popping it then sighing in relief, “sounds like there’s no better time than the present.”

 

“To do what?”

 

“To see if you can teleport me with you so we can go get some. I’ve never been but my mom always wanted to go. She wanted to go walk the same steps of Jesus Christ, her Lord and Savior.”

 

And Gabriel really did want to go, really, he did but…”but Charrrr,” he said with more whine in his voice than he’d intended.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Today’s Sunday. Even my Father took today off. You promised.”

 

“You’re completely right. I did say no working today. Come along then, Archangel Gabriel. If you’re quite done with your flying shenanigans we’ve more to do today to finish off our Sunday Fun Day.”

 

Charlotte didn’t let him down. After walking back to the car, Charlotte then took over the wheel and drove them back into the Cultural District she’d pointed out before. They visited the Kimbell Art Museum and saw both the Monet and Renoir exhibits along with the museum’s permanent collection. Charlotte got a kick out of him telling her he’d been Michaelangelo’s muse and whispering snide comments regarding the artists of old. It was nice to hang around someone who seemed to take great pleasure at being by his side. Of course, Char, being Char, made sure to bring up the fact that Sam Winchester would definitely get a kick out of hearing everything he’d told her.

 

In a lull, and ok, so they’d been glared at by the guard more than once for being so loud, Gabriel walked around and tried to imagine himself telling Sam some of the same things he’d told Charlotte but it was hard. The only relationship they’d had had been of Gabriel trying his best to teach Sam lessons and Sam being reticent to learn them, if he’d ever even gotten the point Gabriel was trying to teach him.

 

When he’d mentioned as such to Charlotte, she’d taken them to a bookstore, citing the fact that all her books were still in storage, where they bought the entire collection of _Supernatural._

 

“Besides, this will be your own set.”

 

“Do I really need my own set?”

 

“Of course.”

 

After the bookstore they did a few more things, went to the movies (where he’d absolutely not cried when one of the main characters died and left the other heartbroken), they had dinner in what was easily the most interesting way Gabriel had ever had dinner. Granted he hadn’t needed to eat but given that he’d opted to partake more often than not he was still surprised that the way they ate involved a methodology he’d not thought of in all his life.

 

First they’d gone back to the house, to freshen up and get ready for Latin Night at Hooky. Gabriel and Charlotte had both bathed and of course Charlotte had made a lewd comment about his body that made both of them shudder. It involved the word “daddy” and Char had almost immediately turned an interesting shade of green upon uttering it. “Ewwww.” He’d told her, holding on to his towel tightly.

 

“Yeah, that was a definite no no word. Fuck. Move, I need to go wash my mouth out with soap now.”

 

Gabriel had laughed and continued his way back to the room, thoughts quickly turning to what to wear. Texas was weird. It was September and was, according to Char, unseasonably cold this year. “Usually it doesn’t get cold here until about January.” But, alas, that fact had not held up this year and after six pm a jacket was a necessary evil. For Gabriel anyway since he was not only unaccustomed to _needing_ a jacket but also he’d found that when he got hot (as he tended to run) then he had to hold the blasted jacket. It was a sodding pain in the ass and were it not for Charlotte’s insistence that he wear it, he wouldn’t be arsed to carry it. Unfortunately, Charlotte could be an even bigger pain in the patootie so jacket it was. On the plus side, his dad had given him plenty to chose from. Silver linings (at least that was his story and he was sticking to it.)

 

When he emerged from his room approximately thirty-five minutes later he and Char did the thing they did where they stopped in the hall and stared at each other’s get-ups. Char never failed to look outstanding and tonight was no exception. Tonight she wore the tightest pair of light blue jeans that Gabriel had ever seen on anyone. They were tattered from crotch to below the knee, she paired it with a shirt whose color was between a nude and the lightest rose. The shirt plainly made the outfit as it had the deepest v down the middle. Seriously, the thing was more reveling than the Versace dress that put J. Lo on the map. And yes, Gabriel was ashamed he knew about the dress but not about September 11th.

 

Char had added gold necklaces that enhanced her breasts, her normally silver or bronze piercings had been swapped out for gold ones and on her feet were the tallest heels he’d seen her in so far.

 

“Can you even walk in those?”

 

“Please,” Char scoffed, “I grew up wearing skirts and heels because of church. I’ll last all night.”

 

Gabriel wiggled his eyebrow at her and she laughed as she took in his outfit. Gabriel had gone with the motif of chic that evening and he felt partial to his outfit. He looked damn good if he did say so himself.

 

His pants weren’t jeans, rather he was wearing fitted black slacks. He’d paired it with a black silk shirt that he tucked in and Michael Kors belt with the customary gold buckle. On his feet were calf brown half boots and as a coat, well that coat made the outfit. It was snug across his arms, chest, and back. Tan colored and made of the softest suede/velour type of material Gabriel had ever felt. It was a far cry from the green canvas and occasional leather jackets he’d worn before he’d died but somehow it didn’t feel like it was something out of the ordinary. It felt like it fit him….and ok, it sorta reminded him of a much better version of the tan coat he’d grown used to seeing Cas in. When he’d tugged it on he’d wondered whether Cas still wore that damn thing. It was so ill fitting…Gabriel shook himself out of his thoughts. He couldn’t go down that train of thought right now.

 

“I forgot cologne. Hang on.”

 

Gabriel slipped back into the room, spritzed cologne on himself, added his favorite gold chain and stepped back out in time to catch Char standing in front of her closet, looking at her clothes.

 

“What are you doing?”

She shrugged but kept her back to him. “I don’t know, I just feel like maybe since you dressed up so nicely, maybe I should change.”

 

“Char.” He waited until she turned to look at him. He wasn’t used to seeing her look so uncertain and it hit him that this was probably an after effect of something that Levi must have told her at some point in time. Once again, he wrangled with duel emotions of wanting to strangle Levi or give him a bloody hug for being so damn charming and unassuming.

 

“Char.” He stated again, walking into her bedroom.

 

“You. Look. Beautiful.” He accentuated each of his words with a light tug of her hair that she’d straightened, giving her a Cleopatra look.

 

She looked down at herself. “You sure?”

 

“Positive.”

 

She sighed and looked away before biting her lip and nodding.

 

“Ok, I’ll take your word for it.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

He firmly took her had in his and turned to walk them both out of the room when the still made bed caught his eye.

 

“Hey!” He cried out indignantly.

 

“Huh?” He could already hear the I-swear-i’m-innocent in her voice.

 

“Charlotte, you tell me the truth right now! Did you offer to sleep with me, to cuddle with me, to keep me company all to get out of sleeping on these silk sheets?!”

 

She laughed and smirked. “Thaybe”.

 

He smiled at her. Sometimes she switched up words or made her own, he’d noticed. Not exactly baby talk but sorta the way someone said “daily” “shmaily”.

 

“You know who made up a ton of the words in the English language, Char?”

 

“Yup. One of my favorite things is that he made up the phrase “to elbow someone.”

 

He smiled.

 

“Yeah, Shakespeare was a freaking genius.”

 

“Yeah. He made up the word lackluster too, but I think my favorite word is assassination. I love the irony that when Abe Lincoln was on his way to watch Julius Cesar he was assassinated and that was the first time the word was used.”

 

She caught his grin and elbowed him.

 

“Hey, it’s a little dark but I get my jollies where I can.”

 

______________

 

Char let him drive again, directing him towards Magnolia Avenue, an area in South Fort Worth that Charlotte had described as a hipster enclave. Gabriel wasn’t sure what that meant but he was excited about finding out. The restaurant that they were starting off at wasn’t actually on Magnolia, but Char said she wanted him to get a feel for the area.

 

“I’d love to live in this area but I didn’t catch it when it was a buyers market and now the prices are through the roof and its very much a sellers market. It’d be stupid for me to buy right now as much as I want to.”

 

She elaborated a bit when he told her he didn’t understand but then stopped to point out different restaurants to him before pointing him to South Main Street where their first stop was.

 

The Bearded Lady was a tavern that was located in what comprised as the “village” of that whole area they were in. Aside from providing your regular pub food and wine and such, they also had a rotating selection of the best locally craft beers which was what Char said she liked.

 

“And here is where we’re stopping for our appetizer.”

 

“Just an appetizer? I’m kinda hungry, Char.”

 

“Do not fret, my pet. Hey, I made a rhyme!”

 

“I’m fretting…and freezing. What the hell is up with this weather? It’s freaking September. It shouldn’t be cold anywhere just yet. Half-brother!”

 

As was par for the course when he uttered that phrase, Char laughed before coming around the car to loop her arm through his.

 

“I know you’re cold but I want to treat you to a four or five course meal…just a little different than you’re probably used to.”

 

And so it began. The Bearded Lady supplied them with their appetizer, un-fried okra and homemade ranch. Char wasn’t a fan of fried foods but promised him that the grilled okra tasted wonderful when paired with their ranch. When Gabe asked Char what drink she was going to go with she looked it over before squealing and pointing at Rawsome- a sparkling CBD water with the flavor of “Mango Tango”.

 

“I love trying new drinks.” Charlotte confessed.

 

Gabriel went with a stout from a local brewery called Rahr and Sons. The name of it, “Adios Pantalones” tickled his funny bone. He was discovering it was quite fun to order things just because of the name or what it consisted of and he smiled broadly at Char who was sitting across from him.

 

“You’re the best date ever, you know that?”

 

She blushed. “Um, thank you, but please, if this gets to be too much for you, just let me now. Levi indulged me from time to time but he actually despised moving from place to place. I think we did it made three times in the decade we were together.”

 

“I never know whether to kill him or love him.” Gabriel mentioned conversationally. She huffed out a laugh.

 

“Yeah, me neither.”

Their drinks arrived then and they let each other taste them before taking their own sips. The CBD water didn’t really taste like much, just a hint of mango but Char seemed to like it. His own drink was very good and when he said as much, Char told him that although Rahr and Sons was a local brewery it was nationally sold.

 

“I’ve even found it in breweries in California. I always get a kick out of seeing ‘Fort Worth’ written across the menu.”

 

Conversation flowed easily and Gabriel found himself once again feeling thankful for Charlotte. Even though they’d had an emotionally heavy conversation earlier, she wasn’t dwelling on it. She was accepting it as part of their lives and moving on. There was one thing…

 

“Char?”

 

“Yeah?” She said distractedly, calling their server over and pointing at his drink whilst holding up two fingers.

 

“Sorry,” she said, “I just really liked your drink.”

 

“That’s ok. I kinda just wanted to ask you about the gender-fluidity thing from earlier.”

 

“Oh sure. It’s not actually a big deal, it’s usually harder to explain how I feel about it than it actually is if that makes any sense.”

 

“What do you mean?” Gabriel asked around the server who’d arrived with their okra, ranch and extra plates.

 

“Hmm, well. Ok, let me give it a try. Since I was little, I’m talking four or five, I’d tell my mom I wish I didn’t have hair so that she wouldn’t have to brush it because brushing it hurt. My hair was very long due to it being against her religion for women to cut their hair. There’s a Bible verse that says that women are supposed to let their hair grow as it is their veil, so to speak. Their virtue or some such shit, I don’t properly remember. Anyway, it says that if you cut it, you might as well shave it as in the eyes of God it’s the same damn thing. So my mom would tell me that every time I’d ask her to cut it until one day I told her that I didn’t want her to cut it, that I’d much rather have a shaved head as I didn’t want to be a girl anyway. Again, I was either 4 or 5 years old but I sure did get a slap in the face.”

 

“You’d think that would have been enough to set me straight, but nope.” Here, Charlotte stops to hoo-hoo haa-haa out of her mouth because of a steaming okra she just stuffed in there before continuing. “If anything as soon as the words were out of my mouth, it seemed right. Like that’s what I’d been missing all my life and the idea about being a guy sorta solidified. Or, well, that’s what I thought but as it turns out what the problem was was that I didn’t know everything else that existed as far as sexuality goes. When I went to Kindergarten I fell in love with a girl who was alphabetically always placed in front of me.She had the best ass. Because she was a girl, I thought that meant that I really did want to be a guy. I didn’t know bisexuality existed. As the years have gone by I’ve discovered that although I dress in what is construed as feminine, I don’t actually associate with being a girl. Ya know, I actually donated my uterus to a couple where the wife wanted to be able to carry her own child but her womb wouldn’t hold it. I didn’t do it because I am so selfless, I did it because it was a way for me to solidify my gender neutrality. And I still wear a binder sometimes. I don’t need boobs and I’m grateful that although full, mine aren’t big. I know on the outside I usually look like a girl but, when I was 12 and I first ovulated I cried for days, because I didn’t want my body going through that. I didn’t want to be a girl. I still don’t. You know, unless I’m going to wear shorts or a skirt I don’t even shave my legs. It’s not because of feminism or whatever, it’s because I genuinely like seeing hair on my legs. It helps me feel more like me. Does any of this make sense?”

 

“Sorta? I mean, as an angel we don’t have genders either, you know? But for the most part I’ve managed to stay in a male vessel and I feel like I identify as a male but I don’t think I’d have a problem in a dress or looking like a girl. Or, I don’t know Char. Maybe I don’t understand as well as I think I do. What kind of partners do you prefer? Does that come into play at all?”

 

“Not really. Or if it does, it’s just another thing I don’t know about yet. I’m just…I don’t know, it’s like I’m a gender that doesn’t exist if that makes any sense. I like boobs but I prefer them on my partners than myself however I would love to be able to have both a vagina and a dick. Because I love the feeling of being full but sometimes I wish there was a hot warm orifice that I could sink into too. Is that gross? I don’t know. I don’t know how it all plays out, that’s just what I was I was. As for my partners, hmm. I definitely like boobs but I also like dick so my ideal partner would have both. I also seem to prefer lesbians that fall under the category of dyke…you know, they dress slightly manlier.” Charlotte quotes the word and Gabriel can tell that it’s her way of mocking the whole idea of separate genders.

 

“Damn. I wish I had answers for you, kiddo.”

 

“Eh, I’m used to not knowing what the fuck I am or if there’s something seriously fucked about me.”

 

As they finish the last of their okra and Charlotte motions for the check, Gabriel is quietly thinking.

 

He’s about to speak again when the server, another Erica, is coming over with the ticket and a Square device (Charlotte later explains to him) and before he knows it Char is ushering in out the door and back out into the blasted cold for their main course.

 

________________

 

The rest of the night goes well, they head to a restaurant on Magnolia Avenue called King Tut, an Egyptian place. Even though he’s very familiar with Egypt and has had their food before, experiencing it as a human is a whole ‘nother experience and it’s one he enjoys. He makes a mental note of asking his dad if he can keep his human senses so that he can continue to enjoy things like this. Gabriel is actually learning that there are many things that make being human enjoyable. He’s not completely sure if he’s so at ease because although he can’t just snap something up he’s still immortal and has wings or if it’s because he’s genuinely enjoying it.

 

The small talk they’ve been partaking in while they ordered their food and drinks comes to a complete halt when Charlotte brings up a good point.

 

“Have you been actively looking for ‘good humans’, yet, Loki?”

 

A forkful of the minced meat and potatoes that he was enjoying stalls on the way to his mouth.

 

“Um, actually no.”

 

“This isn’t a work day at all, but I do want to encourage you to try to imbed that into your day to day. To where it isn’t work but just something you automatically do. It’s important that we, even us real humans, actively search it out. It keeps our faith in humanity up, reminds us why we fight so hard not just for this country but for this hunk of rock. There are people who mock those who could be considered eco conscious but the fact of the matter is that there is not planet B. Not for us, anyway. But that’s beside the point. As a current human with his angel status pending, don’t forget to seek out the good, ok mon cherie? There are people that are much better than me. Spiral Diner, the vegan restaurant across the street is a proof of that. I can easily eat vegan meals because they’re good and it’s only one meal. I’m not doing it because I can’t fathom eating an animal but the fact remains that a good portion of these people are not doing it for health reasons, they are doing it because they want to be one less person to hurt animals. Capisce?”

 

Gabriel mulls it over as he continues to eat. He knows she’s right but at the same time it’s kinda daunting. What if she’s wrong? What if her and the Losechesters are the only decent ones left?

 

When he brings that up to her, she laughs. “You remember when Lot tried to convince God to find at least ten people that could constitute as good so that he wouldn’t destroy Sodom and Gomorrah?”

 

“Erm, yeah. Dad didn’t find anyone.” He blanches, thinking back on that particular memory. He’d been the one sent with freaking uptight Uriel to take a look-see. To say it’s not a memory he looks back at fondly would be an understatement. Thankfully, he doesn’t have to expand on his emotion because as usual Char catches the change in them and quickly moves on.

 

“Well, this isn’t those times. If and of course this is a big if, but if when Jesus said he wouldn’t come back to earth until the world was like Sodom and Gomorrah again and he’s not here then we’re safe, aren’t we?”

 

Gabriel isn’t sure how to answer. He hasn’t talked to his half brother for a long time but as far as he was concerned he didn’t have any actual limitations of where he could go, not to mention his dad had gifted this particular planet to him. He smirks at Char, who takes one look at him and sits back, rolling her eyes.

 

“You know what? Forget that part. Just fucking focus on seeing the good ok? Jesus fucking Christ.”

 

Gabriel chuckles and continues to eat but this time he takes a closer look at his surroundings, something easily accomplished as Char once again chooses the seat where her back isn’t to the exit, leaving him to sit across her and get a good view.

 

Their waitress is serving an elderly couple across the restaurant from them. The gentleman looks to be in his 80’s and his age is evident in his slow movements as he moves to withdrawal his wallet from his pocket and carefully selecting a card to hand to her. Gabriel glances at the server for any signs of impatience (said gentleman moves _really_ slowly) but finds none. Instead there’s a fond gentle look on her face that looks genuine but still when she makes her way back to their table Gabriel can’t help but want to find out if actually is.

 

“I’ve never been a server,” he starts, “but waiting on elderly people must kinda be a pain in the ass, isn’t it?”

 

The waitress’s hand stalls on the way to pick up his glass for a coke refill then a beat passes and she continues. Once she’s done she puts it down and looks at him.

 

“Maybe for some people but not for me.”

 

“How come?” He asks.

 

She shrugs. “At the risk of sounding selfish, I do it for good karma and brownie points.”

 

“What are you savings them up for?”

 

“They aren’t for me, they’re for my parents. My parents are in their 70’s and moving slower every day. I treat elderly people with patience because I wish for my parents to be treated the same. The world is hurried now and I know people have things to do, places to be, etc. But I hope that as they go through their day my mom doesn’t feel like she’s bothering anyone when she asks them to explain technology to her. I don’t want my dad to feel emasculated or something if someone was to be rude to him for also moving slowly. So I pass it along and hope that when it comes back around it goes to them. Like I said, kinda selfish, but I have to try anyway.”

 

“That’s, uh, that’s actually very admirable. Not just because you’re being kind to these people that are probably someone’s parents but because you aren’t even using those brownie points for yourself. That’s a two-fer. You’re twice as good.”

 

“Eh, I don’t know that I’d give myself that much credit. Just trying to do my bit is all. To keep the world going round and all.”

 

“I think you’re on the right path there, sister.” Gabriel sits back and grins at her and she smiles back at him.

 

“Here’s hoping. Now, do you guys want desert?”

 

“Nah,” Char chimes in for the first time. I’m taking him to desert at Cane Rosso. I love their fried Oreos.”

 

“Oh, hell yes. Me too. I don’t know if you guys are beer drinkers but they just started selling Peroni’s there. It’s a delicious Italian beer.”

 

“Really? I love that beer but I usually have to buy it at a liquor store, I’ve never seen it at a restaurant.”

 

“Sure is. Well, you guys enjoy, here’s your ticket, you can pay up at the front. Before I go, is there anything else I can do for you guys?”

 

Gabriel and Char wave her off, thanking her for her help before Gabriel turns back to Char who has a knowing look on her face and he rolls his eyes at her.

 

“Fine, you got one. Ya happy?”

 

She kicks at him gently under the table. “Are you?”

 

He looks at her and smiles. “Yeah, Char, I am.”

 

As they head out, Gabriel makes a point of catching the goodness happening around him. The cashier who is also the owner who just gives them a discount because it’s his first time there and she appreciates Char (who she recognizes) for liking her restaurant so much she’s taken him there.

 

He notices the gentleman who holds the door open for them as they’re walking out and compliments his coat.

 

He notices a young man get off a motorcycle to help an elderly lady cross the street when she looks a little frightened at the stop sign. He doesn’t speed up her walking or hurries her, just slows down to match her stride and guides her across by her elbow. “There ya go,” Gabriel hears him say, “don’t worry, I won’t let you fall.”

 

The more Gabriel walks with Char the more he sees and as they move along to Cane Rosso the more Gabriel is stunned by how much good, honest to dad pure good he’s missed.

 

“I can’t believe how much I’ve missed.” He says to Char, almost cringing with what he expects her to respond.

 

“Kinda sounds like before you were looking into the abyss. And you know what Nietzsche said about that. But you know what the good part is about finding the good in others?”

 

“What?”

 

“That eventually you also end up finding the good in yourself.”

 

Gabriel says nothing further, just ponders on Char’s words while they make their way into Cane Rosso. He does, however, continue to look for and find good. As he does so, he notices that the more he finds, the better he feels. It’s like on the inside he had an empty tank that’s slowly filling up with all the goodwill and general cheer of humans. Char is right, Nietzsche was right. The more he’d looked into the abyss, the more the abyss had looked into him.

 

But now he’s been given a way to fix that. 

 

He’ll be damned before he gives that up.


	5. FInd Somewhere To Lay My Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Am feeling pretty proud of myself for updating this faster than I thought I would. I'm really buckling down here, aren't I? *gives self props*
> 
> In a couple chapters, after they have settled in, I'll give an update to how everyone else is doing and I'll jump ahead to the end of the first month. The chapter after that will cover the next three months, as an overview, focusing on what happens when Gabriel discovers exactly what it is that the sodium borate is for. He's in the shock of his life. 
> 
> Chuck isn't coming back yet and the brothers won't come across one another for a few more chapters still. Not to mention, that it's probably 6 more chapters before they meet up with the Winchesters. And yes, it'll be at the six month mark that Chuck had pre-set for Gabriel.
> 
> I'm really excited for that part and have actually already started writing it. I hope y'all like it.

The next day is Monday and although Gabriel instinctively wakes up with the knowledge that it’s a work day floating around in his head he still wakes up with a smile on his face.

 

Once again him and Char have switched positions and he’s the big spoon, much to her chagrin he imagines. Sure enough, he’s just wondering whether he should laugh or not when she mumbles underneath her breath and turns around all the while sticking her arm underneath him and flipping him around. She’s deceptively strong.

 

He laughs out loud, not caring in the slightest.

 

“Come on, you big oaf. If you aren’t going to let me sleep in we might as well get up. How long did we sleep anyway?”

 

Gabriel responds immediately, taking advantage of another “strength” that has come back. He now knows what time it is automatically. He has no need for his smartwatch but he’ll continue to wear it because a.) his dad got it for him and b.) he likes it.

 

“8:32am”

 

“Fuuuuuck, we’ve only slept for two hours. You sure you’re ready to get up? I don’t want a grumpy archangel on my hands when we start working.”

 

“Are you sure you won’t be the grumpy one, human?” Gabriel teases her.

 

In retaliation Char pushes him off the bed and really Gabriel needs to remember the deceptively strong thing.

 

Almost too late, Gabriel remembers that he’s also strong and as she laughs at him from the bed he pops up and he pulls her down by her leg, giving her a quick yank. She lands on him, all sharp elbows pushing an “oof” out of him as his breath leaves him.

 

“Dad-damn you’re heavy, woman!”

 

“ ’s your fault. No one told you to pull me down.” She says, digging her elbow deeper into his rib cage.

 

“Uncle! Uncle!” He cries out, laughing uproariously.

 

She relents after cracking up too and gets up, holding a hand out to him to help him up. Gabriel takes it but uses it to pull her towards him and with a flap of his wings they’re in the kitchen.

 

“Holy shittt! Warn a person!” She exclaims, eyes wide open as she looks around in awe at just having reappeared somewhere else.

 

Gabriel smirks at her and she sighs. “You’re going to be completely difficult to live with now aren’t you?”

 

“Heh. You’ll never know.”

 

“Yeah yeah, I’m sure I’ll quickly find out.” Char responds turning back to the hallway.

 

“Come on, lets go get dressed so we can go for breakfast.”

 

“Char, I swear all we do is eat.”

 

“Who’s complaining?” She asks, rubbing her eyes.

 

“Not me, I was just saying. We ate at half past four again. That was a mere four hours ago. Do humans really eat this much?”

 

She laughs and shrugs. “I don’t know, I just know I do. I happen to enjoy eating, thank you very much.”

 

“Speaking of which-“ she continues, “do u still need to eat? Or did all your powers come back?”

 

Before Gabriel can even internally check himself his stomach growls and he grins at her.

 

“Guess that answers that question. You like Mexican?” She asks over her shoulder as she walks deeper into her room.

 

“Um, yes? I’m not sure. I can’t place a time where I’ve had it.”

 

“You can say you don’t remember, you know. You don’t always have to act like just cos you’re an archangel you don’t forget anything.”

 

“Well, I don’t.”

 

“Alright. Well, if you can’t ‘place a time’ (Gabriel can audibly hear the sarcasm) it probably means you haven’t. I can’t believe you’ve not had pan dulce. It’s the fucking bomb, dude. Come on, lets get ready and go get some barbacoa.”

 

“Cow head? Really?” Asked Gabriel, whose memory, or lack thereof, apparently didn’t extend to his knowledge of all languages. “And what are we wearing? Where are we going afterwards?”

 

“Just dress…you know, casual. Messy casual. Not to be confused w/ sloppy. Like this!” Char comes back out to where Gabriel is still standing at her room entrance. She’s wearing grey Chucks on her feet, leggings (Gabriel is starting to see that’s pretty par for the course when it comes to Char) and a hoodie/shirt…or it’s a long sleeve shirt with a hoodie. Not a sweater. He’s not sure what it is but he can see the Star Wars logo on it and it looks comfortable.

 

Char’s hair is in a messy bun updo that somehow manages to beatifically frame her face and instead of contacts, Char is wearing oversize glasses. She still has her facial piercings in but aside from that she’s wearing no other jewelry and the extent of her makeup is a swipe of some thing in a light pink matte on her lips. It’s the youngest Gabriel has seen her look and considering he knows what she looks like after a shower and upon waking up, that’s saying something. Once again he feels his heart constrict and he thinks maybe he’s starting to understand the relationship between the Winchester brothers. There’s not much he wouldn’t do to save Char.

 

“Come on, mon cherie. You can stare some other time, yes?” Her voice is gentler as she addresses him again. She probably caught a whiff of his emotions. She confirms his suspicions when she puts her arm around his waist as she walks him to his room and whispers that she loves him too.

 

“Char…if you can feel feelings…why don’t you know that your friends love you?”

 

“Who said I didn’t?”

 

“Well, you said no one had told you that since your mom…”

 

“Because I hold myself to the same standards as the next human. If I weren’t an empath, I’d have no way of knowing because humans can’t read minds, can’t read emotions- you know what I mean-“ she says, eying his side-eye, “and if it weren’t for the fact that I can feel them, I truly wouldn’t know. It’s important for humans to use their words. Which is why I tell you. Because I don’t want there to be any doubt. Because I’m not assuming you’ll assume that I love you in return.”

 

“I understand.’ Gabriel finally says and he does, kinda. In the past, he would have said that he didn’t understand because in the past if he could read people’s minds or emotions, desires, etc what have you, he just acted on his knowledge without waiting on them to come forward. But what Char is saying is to behave like a human. He’s not sure yet whether that’s better or worse because as much as he wants to try to behave like a human at the end of the day he’s still not…and this train of thought is convoluted and making his head hurt (in theory) so he pushes it aside. He got the gist of it. He thinks. Maybe.

 

Following Char’s example, he tugs on the pair of jeggings that his dad oh so helpfully (he probably saw this morning coming, the sly bastard) left him. He thought they’d be uncomfortable but they aren’t. They’re fluid. They move with him and still let him breathe. He likes them. He doesn’t find a sweater with a logo on it but as he’s running his hands across his shirts he finds a really soft flannel in the colors of a muted yet bright indigo, gray, black and white and trying his hardest not to feel like a Winchester he pulls it out, takes his shirt off and pulls that one on.

 

In his closet he finds a pair of light grey Chucks that are the exact same as Charlie’s and he excitedly pulls those on. Tres cool! Thanks dad, he mutters below his breath. Pulling a Char, he leaves all the jewelry behind (save the smartwatch but he’s pretty sure that doesn’t count) and grabs his aviators. His hair is messy but is laying in a non flattering way (unlike Charlie’s) and won’t adjust no matter how he tries to fix it so in the end he grabs a beanie in the same color of his Chucks and tugs it on. There. He looks much better and hey, he looks younger too, so that’s a plus.

 

_________________

 

They’re en route to wherever Charlie is taking them when he brings up work to her. He never thought he’d be the one doing such a thing but everything with Char seems fun and he somehow has no doubt that hunting will be the same.

 

“So…we’re gonna need some sort of vehicle, a parcel of land, and something dark…or something. It’s been a long time since I hunted and tortured for sport.” He says, yawning hugely.

 

She turns down the music before answering. Char is big on music, Gabriel’s noticed. She listens to it 24/7. The only thing that variates is the volume. At night (or morning as it were), it’s down really low to where they can still hear it but it lets them sleep, in the morning it gets turned up, during her bath, it’s at max volume…etc. Her tastes run in a rather interesting eclectic mix. She has everything from Led Zeppelin (and he rolls his eyes every time she credits Dean for that), to Miley Cyrus. Beethoven and Mozart to Afroman and Dance Gavin Dance. One minute they’ll be listening to Italian music and the next they’ll be listening to Native American music followed by Lil Peep or Lindsey Stirling…even Cardi B on occasion (she’s not a real big fan of pop). And the funniest thing is that she’ll do crazy moves and dances freely while she drives, uncaring of whomever might be looking. Gabriel thinks he might actually be more self-conscious than she is and this is coming from a pagan god with hedonistic tendencies. Maybe it’s due to him not really feeling like a pagan god these days. He’s feeling a whole lot more angel this days and really it’s becoming a problem. Any more angel and he’s going to become his dad’s daggum messenger again.

 

“Stop it, Sweet.”

 

Char yanks him out of his feels and he turns a grateful look her way. He’s been working on _feeling_ better, emotionally but it’s only been a couple days and bad habits are hard to break.

 

“What? I was just thinking about your music and how lame it was. It made me sad that you don’t know good music, kiddo.”

 

She side-eyes him but lets it go, choosing instead to go along with him.

 

“Really? And what do you want to listen to? Because I probably have it.”

 

“Hmm, let’s see…” He’s tries to think of a challenge, work momentarily forgotten.

 

“Ooh! I got it. Do you have any Christian music?” He asks slyly. He knows that after her dad died, Char decided she didn’t want to be on speaking terms with his dad anymore and he’s pretty sure he has her stumped there that’s why it’s a surprise when she lets out a laugh and a different song filters through.

 

“Brother.”

 

“It’s called Brother. And it’s Christian. I also have music by Flood and Marino. Marino was my dad’s favorite musician. Of course, I can’t listen to it too much but occasionally I’ll turn it on.”

 

“Will you play something now?” He asks her, suddenly really wanting to know more about her dad and feel closer to him even though he knows her dad’s soul is most likely in his heaven.

 

He sees her swallow but she nods anyway and then the music comes and to his surprise (but not really because Char is a fan of belting out songs) she starts to sing along after the slow guitar solo. It sounds different from her norm. Her voice usually sounds jocund and jovial. This sounds sad and melancholy.

 

“Bendice a tu pueblo, Señor. Bendicelo de tal manera, que aunque la tierra se habra en dos, tu pueblo alzara la bandera. Bandera de la paz de Dios. Y aunque los cielos se conmuevan, ayudanos a cantar”

 

When the song gets to the part where the singer is begging his Father to heal the sick, Charlie’s voice cracks and his heart aches for her losses. He wonders what it would be like to lose his father. In the grand scheme of things, he really didn’t have his own father for long, but he’s not sure that what he felt at his dad’s absence was loss as much as it was anger.

 

From what Charlie has told him, her dad would never have left her and his dad did. Willingly. He can’t help the tears that well up in his eyes as he allows himself to wonder, maybe for the first time ever, why his dad didn’t love them, didn’t love him enough to stay. At the admittance of such a thought he can literally hear his heart break and something inside him breaks. Before he even realizes he’s let out a loud sob and his door is opening.

 

Charlie is there and she’s on the ground outside his door, sitting and pulling him onto his lap. He curls his body around hers as he just sobs. Tears of hurt, of loss, of grief, of sheer failure for not being enough course through him and he shakes. It feels like his body is trying to come out of his skin, like he’s too big for it and he’s not even talking about his True Form. His human body feels too big. He’s falling apart and all he can do is hold on to Char, the only person who’s ever truly loved him, for dear life.

 

He doesn’t know how much time passes as Char cries with him both for him and for her before just rocking him and whispering over and over that she loves him and she’ll never leave him. Gabriel’s met all previous confessions of love from other beings with cynicism but it never even dawns on him to doubt hers. He believes her with heart, body, soul, and grace.

 

At long last it’s over and Gabriel lets out one last shaky breath before letting go. He knows he must look a mess, all red eyed and snot nosed and he can feel his beanie all skewed. Char doesn’t seem to care though. She holds his face in her hands as she’s done a few times by now and just places kisses all over it. Even on his lips, small kisses, short kisses, but he swears he can feel the warmth and love behind each one. It doesn’t hurt that between each one she’s still proclaiming her love for him. He doesn’t have the energy to do or say anything in return so he just sits there, still in her lap, practically slumped over, his eyes closed to half mast, and soaks it all in. It feels good.

 

He feels like he’s about to fall asleep when she finally stops.

 

“You ready, Sweets? We’re almost there.”

 

“Right. Food.” He half slurs.

 

She laughs.

 

“Yup. Food.”

 

Gingerly, he gets off her lap, still feeling unsteady.

 

“I feel old.” He tells her, reaching a hand out to help her up.

 

“And it only took, what? 16 billion years?”

 

“Given that my creation predates the invention of time, who knows?” He snarks.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Like you’re incapable of a proper calculation.” She says, dusting off the back of her leggings.

 

He laughs.

 

“You just have a response for everything, don’t you, human?”

 

“Someone’s gotta keep you in check.” She says cheekily, patting his cheek with her hand.

 

“Besides,” she continues, starting her way around the car to her door, “don’t dish it out if you can’t take it.”

 

Gabriel shakes his head and resumes his own seat.

 

____________

The place that she takes them to is called Juanito’s and it’s a Mexican restaurant. Her favorite Mexican place closed down, she informs him, and her second favorite doesn’t serve barbacoa on week days, therefore she’s taken them to her third favorite.

 

“On Sundays, they have a two person group that comes to sing and play guitar for tips.” She tells him as they walk side by side towards the entrance. She makes small talk, chattering about this and that and Gabriel’s listening but on the inside he’s also relieved that she’s not making him talk about his little episode.

 

He’d thought that when they got back in the car they would but all she’d done was turn on some group called Clashing Clouds and they’d listened to music the rest of the way. He’s a little antsy now, wondering when the talk is going to come and they’re nearly at the door when he interrupts.

 

“Are we going to talk about it?”

 

She eyes him as she opens the door.

 

“We are only ever going to talk about it if you choose to, Sweets. I’m not the intrusive type. Besides, there’s not much you can tell me that I don’t already know. Empath, remember?”

 

Of course. Somehow that small detail had escaped Gabriel but now, at the reminder, all he feels is relief. She already knows. He doesn’t have to rehash it. He’s grateful for it. He’s definitely not sure his heart could take that again.

 

They enter the restaurant and Char enjoys looking at Gabriel take everything in. It’s more of a mom & pop restaurant than anything else and the food is served buffet style, with all the meats displayed and the person ordering tacos, tortas, burritos, etc. She gets barbacoa. Always. The only thing she occasionally switches up is whether she adds beans to her tortilla or not. She misses her mom’s beans and flour tortillas something fierce and she stands frozen for a moment as old memories and tastes wash over her. Damn, those had been good.

 

“You ok, Char?”

 

Charlie opens her eyes to find Gabe looking at her worriedly, casting glances between her eyes and the tear that’s rolling down. It’s been an emotional day and Char’s suddenly had enough. She straightens up and wipes the tear off.

 

“My mom used to say, ‘nomas una lagrima, pero bien llorada.’ I’ve had enough of this bullshit day, Loki. Let’s eat our food and get the fuck out of here. I need to spend money, a boatload of it.”

 

Her tone comes out a little harsher than she intended but she knows Loki understands that it’s not him she’s upset at or about, it’s the stupid piece of shit situation.

 

Gabriel ends up getting six tacos. He’s a fan of trying funky shit and he tells Char he’s been on this earth for a fucking long ass time and somehow he’s avoided eating cow tongue. That stops today. He gets two “lengua” tacos, two “tripa” (intestine) tacos, one barbacoa and one “buche” taco. He’s not a real big fan of pork (bacon doesn’t count. Or pork chops.) but these are pork stomach tacos and he kinda feels like he should try it.

 

Char convinces him to try the “agua de jamaica” while she gets the “agua de tamarindo”. It’s not until after he takes a sip and tells her it’s fucking good that she smirks and tells him it’s just the Spanish name for iced sweetened hibiscus tea. Nothing really exotic there. Still, he’s grateful for one familiar thing.

 

The tacos are good, riding the thin line between too spicy and just right. Char can eat really spicy shit but Gabriel’s tolerance isn’t built up yet but as he tells Char, he’s not all that interested to having his taste buds getting burnt off anyway. Either way, he finds out that he really likes the lengua tacos but after Char reminds him that the intestines are not always correctly cleaned he feels a little green around the gills and he knows he probably won’t be eating the tripa ones again.

 

The conversation at the table is lively enough. As always, Gabriel finds himself enlightened by Char and today is no exception. It starts when he mentions that it feels like everyone is staring at him. She just smiles and tells him that of course he’s being looked at. He’s White. In an actual authentic Mexican restaurant, not that Tex-Mex bullshit. When he asks her to elaborate, something he’s getting into the habit of doing because it tends to lend the most interesting conversations, the kind where he really learns about humanity, she obliges him and launches into how the nation is sorta torn right now because of some wall that some people believe should be put up between Mexico and the United States.

 

Curious, he asks her what she personally thinks about it and is a little surprise when she responds that she agrees with the wall.

 

“Aren’t these your people?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“And…” He motions with his hand for her to continue.

 

She kinda just shrugs.

 

“I don’t know, Lo. I just know that I wouldn’t go to another country without a passport and I would definitely never cross there illegally, not only because that’s illegal but because honestly, I’d be terrified as shit to be found out. The fact that so many people are crossing without hesitation is irreverent to our country. It feels disrespectful. To be honest, it took me a long time to come to this conclusion. One of the biggest hurdles is thinking about the children that are being caught or that are dying out there or that are hungry, cold, hot, whatever and honestly, although I feel for the kids, I’m mostly just angry at the parents. What kind of person brings another person into this world fully knowing that the only type of life they can offer is a mediocre one? I would never. I feel like I already love my non existent kids so much that I would never allow them to be born without having adequate funds to know that everything that they could need would be covered. And I do mean everything. From birthdays to Quinceneras, to their first car, college, university, room and board that comes with that shit. I guess I just don’t understand these people and that makes it hard for me to sympathize with them.

 

I will say,” she continues, opening her taco and adding more salsa to it, “however, that many people don’t want Mexicans here because of stupid shit like the argument that many make about Mexicans stealing their jobs or not paying taxes or whatever the fuck, that’s not only rude but it’s ignorant. Do you know about social security numbers and how they work?”

 

Gabriel shakes his head. “No.”

 

“When you’re born, a number is assigned to you. This number follows you everywhere you go and there’s only one instance in which it can be changed and that’s in the event of true heinous identity theft. Even then you have to jump through a million hoops and having something like a judge or some shit sign off on it. I don’t exactly remember. It’s information I used to know but now that I don’t need to know it, eh, it’s sorta hidden itself in my mind. Anyway, this number is used for big things like credit and taxes and the latter is what many people focus on. They claim that illegals don’t have a social security number therefore they must not pay taxes. In actuality,” she holds up a finger as she takes a bite out of her taco and Gabriel waits patiently as she chews and swallows.

 

There’s so much information about humanity to take in that Gabriel can’t help but agree with Char now. How did he deem himself adequately taking on the role of judge, jury and executioner when he had no background, no intimate knowledge of the inner workings of what it meant to be human? He’d had it so easy, just snapping shit up on a whim but out here, in the real world, people had to work their asses off for what they wanted. He felt a bit guilty about the way he’d treated humanity but at the same time this feeling was masked by the much more prominent one of curiosity and a hunger to know more. He also had a feeling that he was going to recommend doing this with his dad. His dad might be playing human but Gabriel had an ever growing strong suspicion that his dad didn’t have a clue about social security numbers.

 

“Why do you feel amused?” Char asked him, pulling a smirk out of him.

 

“Wondering what I could bet my Dad that He’d accept as acceptable payment if I were to lose the bet that I want to make Him.”

 

“What bet is that?”

 

“That He wouldn’t survive as human.”

 

“Ha. That would be interesting as hell. I don’t know. Let me think about it. Two heads are better than one anyway.”

 

“Deal.” Gabriel easily complied. Twas a time he’d’ve scoffed and asked what she could possibly come up with that he couldn’t but as time went on he was quickly finding out that if humans could be described in one word it would be inventive. They came up with a multitude of gadgets to do whatever it was that they needed done. Easily. Sure, some stuff took forever to figure out (by their standards anyway) but in each thing that he was starting to take note of (starting with architecture which made him think that although the Tower of Babel wasn’t actually all that tall, the fact that they were able to do it at all, the sheer ingenuity of using cow shit to keep the slabs together was _amazing)_ he couldn’t deny that his dad had been right. Humans were indeed the best creation He could have ever come up with.

 

Char started to look pensive but Gabriel stopped her.

 

“You were saying?”

 

A blank look crossed her features but she quickly recovered.

 

“Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot. OK, so what most Americans don’t know is that the United States government has a number that is easily applied for and received right on the internet. Seriously, I’ve helped hundreds of clients apply for an ITIN number on the social security website and the crazy thing is that it specifically tells you to apply for this number if you don’t have a social security number. You file taxes with it, apply for mortgage loans, use it for credit cards, etc. And“illegal” people have this number and they file their fucking taxes just like citizens do. Not only that but because they’re not citizens they have to pay a significantly larger rate of taxes on their shit than most Americans do. Most Americans pay about 10-20% in taxes, people with ITIN’s start off at 28%! That’s fucking crazy but nooo, people don’t know that. And if they do, they chose to ignore that the government they’re so quick to defend literally gives these illegals the fucking right to apply and get said number within seconds. Like, um, what?! I mean, if you’re going to place blame on anyone mayhaps spread it around to _everyone_ it applies to?”

 

Gabriel knows that there’s probably a lot he doesn’t understand. Char’s explained credit to him, investments and retirement but a lot of it went over his head. There’s rules about _everything._ Net pay is different from gross pay, 401k’s are different from ROTH 401k’s and those are different from 403b’s, IRA’s (and ROTH IRA’s), SEP IRA’s and on and on and on. It’s too much for him to keep track of and he chalks Char’s extensive knowledge on it on the fact that she’s been a human far longer than he has.

 

“Um, yeah, that’s crazy.” He’s using a phrase she frequently says and it has the desired effect.

 

Char laughs.

 

“I lost you, didn’t I?”

 

“Lil bit. Yeah.”

 

“Sorry, I don’t even remember why we started talking about that to begin with.”

 

“Hell if I know.” Gabriel shrugs his shoulder at her.

 

“We were talking about…I don’t know, the Wall, I think. Anyway, that’s a subject that I normally don’t talk about unless the person I’m talking to really knows all the inside information. I’d never want to sway you to think one way or another, Sweets. You’re always going to be welcome to your own opinion regardless of what mine is. Capice?”

 

He nods at her and then says, “Hey! We ended up eating here, I thought we were taking it to go?”

 

“Yeah, but then I realized that it’s not like I have a list of properties we could acquire in my pocket. I needed to think about it but now I have it. We’re going back toward my mom’s. There’s a street, Main St., a few blocks behind hers and it has a bunch of old buildings but one, the one I’m thinking about has underground apartments. I met someone there once. That was a couple of years ago though and before I met you, I was driving by and saw a For Sale sign on it. It’s fucking cool. We can go check it out and I’ll buy the damn thing if we like it. The pros are that it’s relatively abandoned, has those underground rooms, and lots of space. The cons are that even though it’s abandoned there are a couple of warehouses around it. I don’t think they work at night though, we might have to stake it out a few days, see who comes and goes with regularity.”

 

“Why do you want it with apartments?”

 

“Because, on a much larger scale, if we ever do meet up with the Winchesters or if we ever come across any hunters in the area that need a place to stay we have one to offer. If I remember correctly, as the gospels mention, hunters don’t make much money.”

 

Gabriel tries not to choke. “Gospels?”

She nods and laughs. “Yup, the books are actually called the Winchester Gospels.”

 

Gabriel rolls his eyes. “Of course. Anything to give the Winchester’s more credit than they deserve?”

 

“You really think so?”

 

“They _did_ start the Apocalypse. I did _die_ cos of them, Char.”

 

“Heh. Yeah, they did. I’ve always wondered though what it would have been like, if instead of playing tricks on them, you’d just come right out and told them who you were and what was up.”

 

“And face my siblings? No, thanks.”

 

“We all have to face our fears sometime, Sweets.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” He grumbles, already done with the conversation.

 

Luckily, Char lets it go.

 

“Come on, let’s blow this popsicle stand. Let’s go get you some pan dulce and tres leches cake. You’ll feel much better.”

 

“You know what I really feel like eating?” He confesses to her as they walk out.

 

“Hmm?”

 

“A really good chocolate chip cookie. Will they have any there?”

 

“No, but I know where you can get one.”

 

“Well, we can get that some other time then.”

 

She holds on to his arm.

 

“Sweets. As important as you think I am, that’s how much I think you are too. If you want a chocolate chip cookie, we’ll get you one. I’m not a major sweets fan, I was just taking you there so you can try some new shit but you can try new shit any time. Come on, I know the best place for a cookie.”

 

Grateful and a little humbled, Gabriel follows her to the car. He thought she was driving as she usually does but she throws him the keys.

 

“I’m driving?”

 

“Yeah. These streets are packed. Let’s see what you can do.” She winks at him and slides the aviators that had been perched on her head down to her nose. She looks so fucking cool doing it. He shakes his head but gets in. If Char wants fast, well she’s indestructible and so is he so fast she’ll get.

 

__________________

 

Approximately thirty minutes later, Char and Gabriel are entering the parking lot for Blue Bonnet Bakery. From the outside it looks like a church and for second Gabriel wonders if Char has played a trick on him. He looks over at her dubiously but she’s already unbuckling her seatbelt and still laughing.

 

“Man, angel, that was fun as shit. Where’d you learn how to drive like that?”

 

She laughs harder when he responds.

 

“You.”

 

She reaches over and adjusts his beanie and then motions for him to open his door. As soon as they walk in, Gabriel is assaulted with varying smells of baked goods and damn it smells good. He’s also able to detect something else and that one kinda surprises him. He can feel the energy from back when it was still a church.

 

“What kind of church was this?” He half-whispers to Char.

 

She looks around although she’s been there a multitude of times.

 

“Um, Catholic probably. I’m not sure but it has stained glass and I associate that with Catholic churches, but that’s based off books and movies. I’ve never actually entered one. Why do you ask?”

 

Gabriel waits until Char and him order before they take his six chocolate chip cookies and her cheese danish with cinnamon coffee (a must have from there, Char had told him) to Char’s favorite table. The bakery left the alter intact which means that they’re sitting on a raised platform, directly below the largest stained glass, before he answers.

 

“I asked because I can feel the residual energy in here.”

 

“Really?” She asks, leaning forward, surprised.

 

“Yeah.” He says. “I wonder if more of my powers are coming back.”

 

“That’d be cool as fuck. If you could also see True Forms, we’d be golden. Hell, you wouldn’t even need me.”

 

He sees a sad look cross her face.

 

“Nah, Char. I’ll always need you.”

 

She smiles at him and ducks her head.

 

“Tanks.” She replies.

 

_________________

 

Once they leave Blue Bonnet Bakery, Char and Gabriel head towards the property that Char was thinking about. Getting close to the property, Gabriel sees that she’s right. It does look pretty good. It’s on a corner of a no-outlet street so there won’t be much, if any, traffic. The lot across there’s is just a field and the building next to theirs is empty. It’s only to their other side that they see something that could potentially be an issue. By all points and purposes it’s also across the street but that’s the only thing between them. And it’s not a quiet company. It’s a brewery. Panther Island Brewing and in the back part they can see a patio. There would probably be plenty of people there at night.

 

Still Char beckons Gabriel to the side of the building and there are stairs that lead somewhere down. There’s a lock on it but Char simply pulls a bobby-pin out of her hair and picks the lock. Gabriel almost laughs at the look of surprise on her face.

 

“I’ve never actually done that.” She says, still staring at it.

 

“What made you think of it then?”

 

She shrugs.

 

“Dean does it.”

 

Gabriel laughs and they cautiously open the door. Upon reaching the landing they see that that there’s a dimly lit hallway to their right, showcasing three doors, two on the left side, one on the other. To their left there are more steps that lead somewhere even lower.

 

“Where do we start?” Char whispers.

 

Gabriel is about to tell her that he thinks the whispering is unnecessary when he’s proven wrong.

 

A voice behind them makes Gabriel jump but not Char. She simply turns on her heel to face them.

 

It’s a tall man. Taller than Sam’s impressive 6’4 height. He’s also bigger. He looks like a football player and in any other circumstance Gabriel might be afraid but this guy has a friendly look on his face. _Probably accustomed to having make people feel at ease,_ Gabriel thinks.

 

There’s a scar on the right side of his face. The hall is dark but from what Gabriel can make out it looks like a burn.

 

“Can I help you guys? Y’all don’t look like…squatters.”

 

Beside him, Char snorts.

 

“You the owner?”

 

He nods.

 

“We came to check out the place. I think I remember you. You won’t probably but a long time ago I was a Favor runner. I brought you food once. I remembered the underground hallways and rooms and I need a place just like this. I think we might want to buy it.”

 

“You guys preppers?”

 

“Nope.”

 

Gabriel doesn’t know what preppers but trusts Char to explain it later so he doesn’t step in. Instead he opts to let Char do the talking. He’s found that Char has leader tendencies, much like Dean and he wonders how he and Dean might have gotten along if they’d gotten off on a different foot.

 

_We’d either have been best friends or killed each other_

 

“Might I inquire as to what you’re hoping to do with the building then?” The guy asks.

 

“Torture.” Char replies.

 

Gabriel tries not to laugh at the look on the guy’s face.

 

The guys laughs and then sobers up when they don’t laugh along with him.

 

“Um, you’re serious?”

 

Char shrugs.

 

“Think of it as a black site.”

 

“Oh. But that’s not what it actually is, huh?” The guy is perceptive.

 

“Nope. Not in the general sense.”

 

“Would you answer if I asked what you meant then? Like, exactly?”

 

Char cocks her head before responding.

 

“Sometimes looking for answers only leads to more questions. And sometimes, you’re better off not knowing.”

 

“You’re not saying no.”

 

Char shakes her head.

 

“I’m not. If you really want to know I’ll tell you but…” She trails off and then just shrugs.

 

“What if I decided to only lease?”

 

“You’d be able to come and go as you please, of course, but be aware that even at your height and body mass, you’d be at a severe disadvantage to what we’re going to have here.”

 

He looks slightly skeptical and Gabriel sees Char straighten out of the corner of his eye.

 

“Want an example?”

 

The guy looks from her to him.

 

“Who? Him?” The disbelief is still in his voice as he takes in Gabriel’s stature.

 

“No. Me.”

 

“You? No, I can’t. I can’t hit a girl.”

 

Char scoffs.

 

“I’m not a girl. I identify as gender neutral.”

 

The guy looks like he really wants to say that she still looks like a girl so Gabriel decides to step in and save him.

 

“She’s willing to give you an example because if I do it, you’ll die. She’s 100% human.”

 

Gabriel doesn’t drop the ball. No, he drops that tidbit on purpose to see if this guy will catch it. He doesn’t.

 

“Um, ok. I’m not sure what you think you can do but basically what you’re saying is that whomever you’ll have in here is going to be significantly stronger than you, right?”

 

Char nods.

 

The guy takes a few steps forward and then stops.

 

“I’m not sure how to do this.”

 

Char beckons him forward. He comes to stand a couple feet in front of her.

 

“Just try to punch me.” She says.

 

He looks uncertain.

 

“Oh for the love of- it doesn’t have to be my face if that makes you uncomfortable. You’re not going to connect anyway. Just throw the damn punch.”

 

The guy lifts his fist. He glances at Gabriel again and then throws the punch.

 

The little sneak.

 

He was trying to take Char unawares.

 

Too bad nothing startles Char.

 

She neatly sidesteps it and when the momentum behind the punch he’d thrown propels him forward she sticks out her foot and he trips over it, falling forward. He’s falling but Char doesn’t let him hit the ground, her arm comes out and he punches out a breath as it connects with his middle. It stopped his fall but it hurt. Gabriel knows she intended it to.

 

He stays there a few seconds.

 

“Now what?”

 

Char helps him straighten up and then asks, “was that enough or would you like him to give you an example of what he can do?”

 

It’s then that the dime drops.

 

“What did you mean, 100% human. What are you?”

 

He sounds a little scared now.

 

There was a time when Gabriel would have reveled in the fear. He didn’t like for people to be unassuming of who, of what he was. Right now he doesn’t like it. Angels weren’t meant to be fearsome. They were meant to be warriors but of heaven, not against humans. To humans they were supposed to be protectors, guardians.

 

“I am a…purveyor of my Father’s word.” His heart is racing. It’s over two thousand years since he announced himself in such manner.

 

The guy’s eyes jump around as he attempts to make sense of what Gabriel is saying.

 

“A messenger?” He finally asks.

 

“A messenger for whom?”

 

“My Father.” Gabriel repeats, quietly, head slightly bowed, deferring to the human before him. It’s not something he’d’ve previously done. Ever. But it doesn’t feel demeaning. It’s bringing him a strange sort of comfort to know that he’s not scaring the human even more than needs to. Isn’t scaring a human for some sort of perverse pleasure.

 

“What’s your name?” The male finally asks. Gabriel thinks he’s getting it.

 

“Gabriel.”

 

The man sucks in a deep breath.

 

“Oh.” He says simply.

 

Then:

 

“Are you going to make me forget?”

 

“Would you like me to?”

 

“No.”

 

Gabriel shrugs. He’s not dumb, he’s not going to tell the guy that aside from taking him somewhere far far away and dumping him or throwing him across the wall with enough force to send him a few blocks the other way, there’s not much else he can do. He’s just going to let the guy use his own imagination.

 

“So…who are you bringing in here?”

 

“You sure?” Char asks, taking over again.

 

The guy looks uncertain but nods.

 

“Vampires. Werewolves. Other unknowns.”

 

To his credit, the guy doesn’t look shocked. In fact, it’s Gabriel that’s shocked when his next question comes out.

 

“Can I join the team?”

 

___________________

 

 

His name is Benjamin. He goes by Ben. He’s 29 (“But I usually say 24 since I still pass for that” he tells them, laughing.), owns the building and is selling it because he wants to (wanted to) leave for parts unknown. He wanted to go somewhere where no one knew him.

 

“I only stayed as long as I did because of my mom.” He tell them.

 

“She died a couple of months ago and I don’t have anything else here.”

 

“No siblings?” Char asks, sympathetically.

 

“I, uh, no. Not anymore.” He looks uncomfortable then and Gabriel wouldn’t have pressed, he would have left it alone but Char pushes.

 

“What happened?”

 

Ben hesitates but then waves his hand around the side of his face.

 

“Happened when I was 15. My sister was 19 but the age difference didn’t matter. We were best friends. Always together. I have two other siblings but both of them were out of the house by the time we came around. They’re not and never have been as close as we, Sarahi and I, were. They didn’t understand our relationship. They would frequently ask us how we could stand to be around each other for as long periods of times as we did.”

 

He stops there and seemingly tries to pull himself together.

 

“She was a big believer in the supernatural. A big believer. She believed in everything and would tell me that if something ever happened that didn’t make sense, regardless of how big or small the problem was then I could bet my ass that it could be attributed to the supernatural.

 

There was a flood. Boiling hot water that no one ever figured out where it came from. But it burned me…and boiled her.” He finishes quietly.

 

Gabriel flinches. Boiled alive, buried alive, or burned alive (by fire or acid) are probably the worst ways a human can die. They feel every single thing that happens to them. He hopes Ben isn’t aware.

 

“I’ve always thought that if it hurt as much as it did just with what I went through…my sister-“ He stops. Can’t continue the sentence.

 

“She’s the one that pulled me out, you know? I was always a big kid and my sister was tiny. 100 pounds soaking wet. Five feet even. And it wasn’t even the first time she’d saved me. Another time, we were in the car with my older brother and he was driving the convertible too fast. He didn’t make the curve and I was flying out when Sarahi reached up and hold on to my shirt. Later, when the EMT’s were surprised how she kept me in the car and asked how she managed it she said that I was her little brother and would never be heavy. She always called me that, you know? No matter who we were meeting, she’d say ‘this is Ben, my little brother.’ She was more proud of me than I’ve ever been of myself.”

 

He stops again and shakes his head.

 

“And now you’re telling me that everything she believed was real is actually real, so yes. I want to join your team. I’m not super smart, Sarahi used to tell me that it’s because I was born out of my mom’s old eggs, she was 45 when I was born,” he explains to their confused expressions. He’s smiling. “But in reality, had it not been for her I would have been another Northside statistic. Would have probably joined a gang or dropped out or some shit. Sarahi didn’t allow that to happen. She said no matter what, we would never be fucking statistics and that all the people who didn’t believe in us could go fuck themselves.”

 

“I think I would have loved your sister.” Char comments.

 

Ben sends a smile her way.

 

“I used to think I was stupid cause I wasn’t book smart like her but she told me that everyone has a gift that’s unique to them and that we just had to find mine. The summer that she died, we did so much. Played pool, which incidentally I’m good at, played tennis, I’m good at that too, but then I found it. I’m good at computers. She said that it was because I was capable of thinking outside the box. Something comes apart or we’re missing pieces of whatever and my brain come up with different outside of the box options of how to fix it. Makes me handy in a rescue.” He says.

 

“Once I turned 18, I became a cop but while I liked helping people, I didn’t like all the politics, so I became a firefighter. Now, I left that last month because I went back to school to become and EMT. I do to other people’s families what I wasn’t able to do for my sister. I rescue theirs. I think she’d be proud.”

 

“I think she would be proud too, kid. I know I am.” Char says.

 

“You want to be my little brother? I don’t have any siblings and you’re missing yours. I am no where near as cool as your sister but I don’t think I’d be a bad substitute.”

 

Gabriel watches as Ben eyes Char. When Ben nods, Gabriel _knows_ he’s just witnessed something powerful. Humans are so much more than meet the eyes. When he’d been powerful and all knowing (to his own eyes, anyway) he hadn’t given them much credit but once again, as the days go by, he can’t help but feel taken aback at how monumentally wrong he was. Humans are so resilient, so strong. So capable of overcoming the short straws they’ve been dealt and keep going. It’s more than he can say for himself. His brother threw a tantrum and Gabriel ran, like a chicken shit.

 

Gabriel knows his dad did this to him on purpose but he can’t help but wonder if he’s learning things that not even his father knows.

 

________________

 

When they finally leave, it’s an hour or two later and Char has purchased the building. She’s also accepted Ben insistence on joining their little rag-tag team. He’s going to be their inside guy. Give them the time they need to escape on the occasions when cops might be a little too close to their being on their ass.

 

“I still know people.” Ben had insisted. “I can definitely help. I’ll help you stay out of jail.”

 

“I can fly us out of hell.” Gabriel had tried to argue.

 

Ben had rolled his eyes.

 

“I can help you keep your identity. Otherwise, you’ll constantly be on guard, on the run, looking over your shoulders. You don’t want that. That’s exhausting.”

 

“He’s right.” Char had said.

 

Gabriel had pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

“Y’all are giving me an eye twitch.” He’d grumbled.

 

He liked the how humans laughed in his face.

 

Not.

 

______________

 

Char and Gabriel are on their way to a dealership. Turns out Ben’s older brother, Romo, is a finance manager at a Hiley’s and Ben text him to ask him to help them out and get them a good deal. He’d grimaced at his brother’s response and when Char had asked him about it, he said his brother was just being a wiseass as was the norm. Char’s face had set but Ben told her to let it go.

 

“He says I only contact him when I need something. But relationships are a two way street, you know? He’s never made an effort either. Sarahi used to say that we were the younger ones. Keeping up with us is their responsibility. Plus, we’re friends on Facebook, there’s another guy that my brother calls his younger brother. It’s whatever.”

 

They meet Romo and there’s not much resemblance. Where Ben has a friendly face and no facial hair, Romo has a wider nose, a full Manchu, and his eyes are hard. Still, he’s polite enough and soon enough has them in his office going over things like gap insurance and the merits of lifetime warranty.

 

Like other human things, these go over Gabriel’s head although he does try to understand them. Gap insurance does exactly that. Once a vehicle is driven off the lot, it starts losing value- depreciation it’s called. So the truck that they’re purchasing, with all the bells and whistles that Char has requested is currently being sold at $69k. Over time it may depreciate to about $50k for example but if they haven’t payed enough on the loan to get it to $50k and it gets totaled in a wreck, the gap between what they owe and what it’s valued at will still be an outstanding balance. Gap insurance would then step in and cover the difference.

 

It’s boring stuff and Gabriel finds himself stifling a yawn.

 

“We losing you, shorty?” Char asks him, smirking.

 

“Eh.” He shakes his hand in the universal sign of so-so.

 

“We’ll be out of here shortly, ok?” She tells him before turning back to Romo.

 

“What if we just pay in cash? What would the price drop to?”

 

“What sort of price are you looking for?”

 

“How about…an even $60,000?”

 

Romo steps out to go talk to his manager and Char taps her fingers on his desk until he returns a couple minutes later.

 

“It would have to be $62,000.”

 

Char nods.

 

“I’ll take it. If you give me the wire information I can call the bank and have them get it started and I’ll just go sign.”

 

They are out of there a few minutes later but they have to go to the bank and then back to the dealership to pick up the vehicle. It takes another hour and half and by then Gabriel is ready to drop. He’s so over this.

 

He perks back up when Char hands him the keys to the truck and he follows her to their new office. They park in underground parking lot that’s hidden from the street and Ben meets them there.

 

Together they inspect the truck. Char’s gotten a hemi. It has a covered cab and four doors. The next day Ben is going to help them insert a bullet-proof glass that will separate them from the backseat.

 

“and the bloody ones will go in the cab since we can just wash it off.” Char is explaining to Ben, who nods, looking for all the world comfortable with the idea of washing blood off the truck. Gabriel just shakes his head to himself again. Like he said. Resilient.

 

They leave the truck there and even though Char offers Ben dinner, he says he’s good and that he’ll see them the next day. Char and Gabriel make sure he’s safely inside the doors of the building before leaving.

 

“Is there warding we can put on the truck?”

 

“Warding?”

 

“Yeah, in one of the gospels, Sam puts warding on the trunk of Baby to keep certain things in and others out.”

 

“Oh, right. Warding. Um, yeah, there’s a ton of different ones. Which ones do you want?”

 

“Which ones do you recommend?”

 

Gabriel ponders on that for a bit as Char drives them to Yucatan Taco Stand. She says that their tortas and nachos are to die for and as he bites into his chicken tinga torta, he has to admit she’s right. They’re delicious.

 

They’ve eaten for a few minutes before Gabriel brings the subject back up.

 

“I think warding it so other angels can’t see it would be good. Also, putting a demon trap on the ground and the doors would work. The last one…well, it doesn’t really exist but I can modify one of the other ones and make it where we’re not visible to cops. That way we’re never stopped. I just wish-ugh.” He sits back, a bit frustrated.

 

“What?” She asks.

 

“I just wish I could ward you. Make to where they can’t find you.”

 

“I think I’m ok.” She says.

 

“No, Char, you don’t understand. What we’re about to embark on is going to make us visible to many things and right now I can’t carve any of these sigils to your bones.”

 

“You needn’t to.” She tells him.

 

“But Char-“

 

“You’re forgetting,” she interrupts him.

 

“Your dad is helping me.”

 

“He’s helped you once. We don’t know if He made you safe forever or if it was a one-off.”

 

She takes a sip of her pear mojito and then smirks at him.

 

“That’s not true. He helped me with Ben too. Besides, we could always test it.”

 

Gabriel arches his brow at her. He’d forgotten about Ben. Still…

 

“How so?”

 

“Lets go find us a monster.” She says quickly.

 

“Why are you so blood thirsty?” Gabriel exclaims.

 

She laughs.

 

“Well, it’s one way to find out.”

 

“Nope. We’re not ready.”

 

“How about if we fight then? You come at me strong and we’ll see how much strength and luck I have?”

 

“Hmm.” Gabriel ponders. “That could work.”

 

___________

 

 

Four hours later, Gabriel’s looking up at the ceiling while Char snores softly next to him. He can hear some sort of k-pop that Char doesn’t understand but listens to anyway, playing at a low volume, coming from somewhere under her pillow.

 

Char was right.

 

His dad is helping her.

 

Char kicked his ass.

 


End file.
